Selection of activated carbons for adsorption of microcystins

The presence of cyanobacteria is a major concern for water treatment, since these microorganisms can be toxic metabolic producers, such as microcystins (MCs), which are not effectively removed in the usually employed full cycle treatment. In order to remove these toxins, it is possible to use absorbers such as activated carbon (AC), which presents a varied efficiency, depending on its characteristics. The general objective of this research was to provide technical and scientific subsidies for the selection of powdered activated carbons (PACs) and granular activated carbons (GACs) in relation to the adsorption of microcystins. A bench scale experiment was carried out to select activated carbons with higher adsorptive capacity for microcystins. Then, for the selected PACs and GACs, complementary characterization was performed for the specific volume distribution as function of pore size and, afterwards, Freundlich adsorption isotherms and breakthrough curves were elaborated. It was possible to verify that among the sampled activated carbons, the imported ones presented greater adsorption capacity for microcystins in relation to the nationals. In addition, it was possible to conclude that the selection of an activated carbon can be done regarding methylene blue index (MBI) parameters, volume of mesoporous and K-f, associated to the selection experiment's results, considered an alternative technical tool of simple application and sufficient for this purpose.