Using an attapulgite-activated carbon composite ceramisite biofilter to remove dibutyl phthalate from source water

This study developed an attapulgite-activated carbon composite ceramisite (AACCC) biofilter for removing trace-level dibutyl phthalate (DBP) from micro-polluted drinking source water. Total pore area and average pore diameter of AACCC were estimated to be 112.2 m²/g and 19.8 nm, respectively, while the AACCC showed considerable adsorptive capacity due to its mesoporous structure, i.e., it would be used as an ideal filtration media. Although AACCC could adsorb DBP, biological AACCC covered by different types of microorganisms appeared to be more effective in removing DBP from source water. At a filtration velocity of 2 m/h during two influent concentrations (20 μg/L and 50 μg/L), the DBP removals in AACCC biofilter were higher than the AACCC filter, being 1.2 μg/L and 1.9 μg/L. The pseudo-first-order kinetic model can serve as a good method for estimating removal performance of DBP using an AACCC biofilter. This clearly demonstrated the potential of the AACCC biofilter as a cost-effective and high-efficiency process for removing trace-level DBP from drinking source water.