ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Pre-treatment system using granulated activated carbon filtration for seawater desalination: methylene blue case

Nadia Chekir, Djilali Tassalit, Naima Sahraoui, Ouassila Benhabiles, Hacina Abchiche, Zahia Tigrine, Farah Karima Rabehi, Lilia Lamani, Mohamed Trari, and Seif El Islam Lebouachera

Laboratory of Matter’s Valorization and Recycling for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Mechanical and Process Engineering, University of Science and Technology (USTHB), Bab-Ezzouar, Algiers, Algeria

E-mail: s.lebouachera@univ-pau.fr

Received: 20 April 2024  Accepted: 19 October 2024

Abstract:

The use of reverse osmosis (RO) for desalination holds great promise for addressing water scarcity issues in many parts of the world. However, membrane fouling is a significant impediment in this regard, as it reduces the quality and quantity of water produced, increases energy consumption, requires cleaning, and shortens membrane life. The use of granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption in conjunction with ultrafiltration (UF) as a pre-treatment ensures that high-quality seawater enters the desalination process free of contaminants that could harm the plant. This method increases the efficiency and longevity of the equipment, lowers maintenance costs, and produces high-quality desalinated water for a variety of applications. In this study, GAC was made from commercially available charcoal and used to remove organic compounds, heavy metals, and microbiological contaminants from seawater. A preliminary study was conducted to determine GAC’s effectiveness in removing methylene blue (MB). The removal efficiency was found to be 78 and 99% at initial MB concentrations of 50 and 10 mg/L, respectively. The isotherm modeling confirms that the adsorption process follows the Langmuir model. In addition, the kinetic study demonstrated that MB adsorption on GAC follows the pseudo-second-order model. GAC filtration removed more than 99% of COD and significantly reduced metal concentrations such as Zn, Cu, and Cd. Bacteriological analysis of seawater treated with GAC revealed a significant reduction in total and fecal coliforms, as well as fecal streptococci, indicating the efficacy of the GAC/adsorption filtration system.

Keywords: Adsorption; Desalination; Pre-treatment; Granulated activated carbon; Methylene blue; Seawater; Pollution

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-024-03759-x

Chemical Papers 78 (18) 9473–9483 (2024)