Ultrasonic Regeneration of Granular Activated Carbon Used in Water Treatment

To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasonic regeneration of granular activated carbon (GAC) used in wastewater treatment, we used ultrasound to regenerate GAC which was used to adsorbed low concentration sewage. The ultrasound with different power, frequency and irradiation time was used to regenerate GAC which treated sewage with the concentration of about 25mg/L. The experimental results indicate that when the power was 120W, the frequency was 36KHz and the irradiation time was 15mins, the GAC regeneration effect by ultrasound was the best. In addition, if the grain size of GAC was smaller, the regeneration effect was better. In conclusion, the ultrasonic regeneration showed a possibility as an alternative to chemical and thermal regenerations of GAC.