Removal of bisphenol A in water using an integrated granular activated carbon preconcentration and dielectric barrier discharge degradation treatment

In this study, an integrated granular activated carbon (GAC) preconcentration and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma degradation process was proposed for treatment of bisphenol A (BPA) wastewater. Firstly, BPA in water was adsorbed onto GAC, and then the BPA was decomposed and GAC was regenerated simultaneously by DBD plasma. The adsorption characteristics of BPA on GAC were studied by batch kinetics. The effects of pulse voltage, pulse repetitive rate, treatment time and air flow rate were investigated. Experimental results indicated that increasing pulse voltage, pulse repetitive rate, treatment time and air flow rate could enhance the degradation of BPA. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis proved the removal of BPA on GAC after DBD treatment. The analysis of texture of GAC samples showed that the specific surface area and pore volume of GAC decreased after DBD regeneration. Furthermore, all adsorption equilibrium isotherms fitted the Langmuir model fairly well, which demonstrated that DBD plasma did not appear to modify the adsorption process but to shift the equilibrium toward lower adsorption concentrations.