Open Access

In this study, the thermal decomposition of 1,3,5-tris-(2,3-dibromopropyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trione (TDBPTAZTO) and 2,4,6-tris-(2,4,6-tribromo-phenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine (TTBP-TAZ) were investigated for the first time by thermogravimetric analysis. Both compounds were thermal degraded between 225 and 350 °C (TDBP-TAZTO) as well as 300 and 400 °C (TTBP-TAZ). As a result, mass loss (%) of 98.5% for TTBP-TAZ and 95.4% for TDBP-TAZTO at 600 °C under N2 were observed. The major pyrolytic degradation products of TTBP-TAZ were formed in a single step and identified by FTIR analysis as 2,4,6-tribromophenol and further bromine-substituted aromatic compounds. In comparison, TDBP-TAZTO was pyrolytic degraded in two steps, whereby on the first step the release of hydrogen Bromide and 1,3,5-triallyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trione could be detected. In the second minor step, isocyanic acid could be additionally identified. Subsequently, the obtained products of the TGA-FTIR measurements were used for a targeted search for mass fragments in mass spectrometry measurements. For TTBP-TAZ, only the degradation product 1,3,5-tribromobenzene could be detected by MS/MS analyzes. No comparable thermal degradation products, except hydrogen bromide, were observed in the MS/MS spectra of TDBP-TAZTO. Therefore, the search of further mass fragments was not possible compared to the findings of the TGA-FTIR measurements.

Aktivkohle ≠ Aktivkohle, Adäquate Materialcharakterisierung - Voraussetzung für Adsorptionsprognosen und Wasserspezifische Auswahl von Aktivkohleprodukten. Ausblick: Publikationen zu Aktivkohlecharakterisierung und Adsorptionsprognose in Vorbereitung

Powdered activated carbon (PAC) for organic micro-pollutant (OMP) removal can be applied effectively on wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents by using re-circulation schemes, accumulating the PAC in the system. This technique is complex because several factors are unknown: (i) the PAC concentration in the system, (ii) specific and average contact times of PAC particles, and (iii) PAC particle loadings with target compounds/competing water constituents. Thus, performance projections (e.g. in the lab) are very challenging. We sampled large-scale PAC plants with PAC sludge re-circulation on eight different WWTPs. The PAC plant-induced OMP removals were notably different, even when considering PAC concentrations in proportion to background organic sum parameters. The variability is likely caused by differing PAC products, varying water composition, differently effective plant/re-circulation operation, and variable biodegradation. Plant PAC samples and parts of the PAC plant influent samples were used in laboratory tests, applying multiples (0.5, 1, 2, 4) of the respective large-scale “fresh” PAC doses, and several fixed contact times (0.5, 1, 2, 4, 48 h). The aimwas to empirically identify suitable combinations of lab PAC dose (as multiples of the plant PAC dose) and contact time, which represent the PAC plant performances in removing OMPs (for specific OMPs at single locations, and for averages of different OMPs at all locations). E.g., for five well adsorbing, little biodegradable OMPs, plant performances can be projected by using a lab PAC dose of twice the respective full-scale PAC dose and 4 h lab contact time (standard deviation of 13 %-points).

The adsorption of organic micropollutants onto activated carbon is a favourable solution for the treatment of drinking water and wastewater. However, these adsorption processes are not sufficiently understood to allow for the appropriate prediction of removal processes. In this study, thermogravimetric analysis, alongside evolved gas analysis, is proposed for the characterisation of micropollutants adsorbed on activated carbon. Varying amounts of carbamazepine were adsorbed onto three different activated carbons, which were subsequently dried, and their thermal decomposition mechanisms examined. The discovery of 55 different pyrolysis products allowed differentiations to be made between specific adsorption sites and conditions. However, the same adsorption mechanisms were found for all samples, which were enhanced by inorganic constituents and oxygen containing surface groups. Furthermore, increasing the loadings led to the evolution of more hydrated decomposition products, whilst parts of the carbamazepine molecules were also integrated into the carbon structure. It was also found that the chemical composition, especially the degree of dehydration of the activated carbon, plays an important role in the adsorption of carbamazepine. Hence, it is thought that the adsorption sites may have a higher adsorption energy for specific adsorbates, when the activated carbon can then potentially increase its degree of graphitisation.

Water treatment with activated carbon (AC) is an established method for the removal of organic micropollutants and natu ral organic matter. However, it is not yet possible to predict the removal of individual pollutants. An appropriate material characterization, matching adsorption processes in water, might be the missing piece in the puzzle. To this end, this study examined 25 diferent commercially available ACs to evaluate their material properties. Frequently reported analyses, including N2 adsorption/desorption, CHNS(O), point of zero charge (PZC) analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, were conducted on a selected subset of powdered ACs. Inorganic elements examined using X-ray fuorescence and X-ray difraction spectroscopy revealed that relative elemental contents were distinctive to the individual AC’s raw material and activation procedure. This study also is the frst to use thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled to Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to conduct quantitative analyses of functional surface oxygen groups (SOGs: carboxylic acid, anhydride, lactone, phenol, carbonyl, and pyrone groups) on such a large number of ACs. The comparably economical TGA method was found to provide good surrogates for the PZC by pyrolytic mass loss up to 600 ◦C (ML600), for the oxygen content by ML1000 and for the carbon content by oxidation. Mass loss profles depict the AC’s chemistry like fngerprints. Furthermore, we found that SOG contents determined by TGA-FTIR covered a wide individual range and depended on the raw material and production process of the AC. TGA and TGA-FTIR might therefore be used to identify the suitability of a particular AC for a variety of target substances in diferent target waters. This can help practitioners to control AC use in waterworks or wastewater treatment plants.