There are two combining modes about the coupled adsorption and
filtration process, i.e. in an integrated membrane reactor and a
separated reactors following a PAC reactor, and two dosing ways, i.e.
step input of PAC (dosed to the reactor at a constant rate) and pulse
input (all dosed at the beginning of the filtration loop). The effect of
the dosing method on the fouling control is less pronounced. PAC can
remove organic or inorganic aquatic contaminants from natural
waters by adsorption, usually described as three-step transition of the
impurities: from water to carbon, then to the carbon surface, lastly to
binding sites.
Much work has been done to study the effect of PAC on the
membrane fouling of ultrafiltration. Contact time [45], dosage, and
dosing methods are known to account for the contaminant removal in
the integrated process. Although a high removal of impurities is
discovered, no special phenomena about membrane fouling reduction
or increase are found comparing with the UF system alone in the same