Design of a Water Purification System Using Modified Mineral Waste Materials (MMWM) and Activated Carbon Derived from Waste Materials

Abstract

The study attempts to test and optimize the removal efficiency of haloacetic acids and antibiotics in a water purify device using a low-cost, modified mineral waste material (MMWM) accompanied with activated carbon (AC). There are four stages in this research to determine its maximum removal efficiency. In stage I, the concentration of haloacetic acids in different water samples were tested. Although it was within the acceptable limit, high attention must be paid due to its strong carcinogenicity. In the second stage, the adsorption ability of AC and MMWM for one type of haloacetic acids (dichloroacetic acid) was determined. Moreover, in order to achieve a maximum removal efficiency, the effects of temperature (10℃-40℃), size of the filling materials (40 mesh, 60 mesh, 200 mesh and 300 mesh), and ratio between AC and MMWM in the filling materials (1:4-4:1) on the removal of dichloroacetic acids (DCAA) and antibiotics were studied by an experimental design of L16(4)3 orthogonal array. The results indicated that the optimal conditions for removing DCAA in water samples are 30℃, 20 mesh and ratio 3:2 of AC to MMWM. Consequently, the removal efficiency of the existed water purify device was improved from 29.26% to 71.46% after combing the optimum conditions.