Adsorptive removal of adsorbable organic halogens by activated carbon

Current research mainly focuses on the reduction of adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) sources, while studies on AOX monitoring and management in the environment are scarce. Organic pollutants in water are mainly fixed by sediments. Thus, in this paper, activated carbon was used to simulate the adsorption of AOX by sediments. AOX volatilization and degradation were also studied to exclude their effect on adsorption. Micromolecule chlorides were more easily volatilized and degraded than chlorobenzene and chlorophenol. The adsorption of activated carbon to AOX in bleaching wastewater was also studied and the optimum conditions for AOX removal were elucidated (particle size, 62 µm; time, 120 min; pH, 2.5; temperature, 40°C; and activated carbon dosage, 1.75 g l(−1)). AOX adsorption by activated carbon is a chemical process. Hence, the chemical compositions of the bleaching effluent with and without adsorption were analysed by GC-MS. The results revealed that activated carbon exhibits a good AOX removal effect, thereby providing a theoretical basis for monitoring the AOX distribution in the environment.