2-Methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin are naturally occurring compounds responsible for musty-earthy taste and odor in public drinking-water supplies, a severe problem faced by many utilities throughout the world. In this study, we investigated adsorptive removal of these compounds by superfine powdered activation carbon (SPAC, particle size <1 µm) produced by novel micro-grinding of powdered activated carbon; we also discuss the optimization of carbon particle size to efficiently enhance the adsorptive removal. After grinding, the absorptive capacity remained unchanged for a 2007 carbon sample and was increased for a 2010 carbon sample; the capacity increase was quantitatively described by the shell adsorption model, in which MIB and geosmin adsorbed more in the exterior of a carbon particle than in the center. The extremely high uptake rates of MIB and geosmin by SPAC were simulated well by a combination of the branched-pore kinetic model and the shell adsorption model, in which intraparticle diffusion through macropores was

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Decreasing the particle size of powdered activated carbon may enhance its equilibrium adsorption capacity for small molecules and micropollutants, such as 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin, as well as for macromolecules and natural organic matter. Shell adsorption, in which adsorbates do not completely penetrate the adsorbent but instead preferentially adsorb near the outer surface of the adsorbent, may explain this enhancement in equilibrium adsorption capacity. Here, we used isotope microscopy and deuterium-doped MIB and geosmin to directly visualize the solid-phase adsorbate concentration profiles of MIB and geosmin in carbon particles. The deuterium/hydrogen ratio, which we used as an index of the solid-phase concentration of MIB and geosmin, was higher in the shell region than in the inner region of carbon particles. Solid-phase concentrations of MIB and geosmin obtained from the deuterium/hydrogen ratio roughly agreed with those predicted by shell adsorption model analyses of isotherm data. The direct visualization of the localization of micropollutant adsorbates in activated carbon particles provided direct evidence of shell adsorption.

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