D28.02 - Liquid Phase Evaluation

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 When a fluid containing an adsorbate is passed through a bed of activated carbon, chemical reactions may take place between the activated carbon, its other noncarbonaceous constituents, and the adsorbate-containing fluid. The pH of the carbon may be a significant parameter of such a reaction and therefore may be an important characteristic of the carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers determination of the pH of a water extract of activated carbon.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific hazard statements, see Section 6.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The particle size of fine mesh and powdered activated carbon is sometimes used to evaluate filter cake filtration rates and the filter penetration in filtering applications.  
5.2 The selection and handling of fine mesh or powdered activated carbon, and operation of processes using fine mesh or powdered activated carbon, requires the knowledge of the particle size.  
5.3 This test method is intended for single sieve testing only. For determination of particle size distribution of a sample, the test must be repeated using sieves with different openings.
Note 1: Relative humidity (RH) can affect the repeatability and accuracy of this test. Activated carbon not at equilibrium with the RH of the ambient air may lose or gain weight accordingly, dependent upon whether the carbon picks up or loses moisture.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the particle size of powdered activated carbons using an air-jet sieve device. For purposes of this test method, powdered activated carbon is defined as activated carbon in particle sizes predominantly in a range of 80 mesh (0.180 mm) through 500 mesh (0.025 mm).  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The inch-pound units given in parentheses are for information only.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This test method is used to determine the density expressed in g/mL for powdered or fine mesh carbon. Due to the nature of the small particles, the density of these carbon types cannot be measured using the same procedure as granular carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the mechanically tapped density of powdered and fine mesh activated carbon. For the purpose of this test method, “powdered carbon” is defined as having a mean particle diameter less than 45 µm, and “fine mesh carbon” is defined as having a particle size predominately between 80 and 325 U.S. Standard mesh.  
1.2 The values in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measure are included in this standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice allows the adsorption capacity at equilibrium of an activated carbon for adsorbable constituents present in water to be determined. The Freundlich K and 1/n constants that can be calculated based upon information collected using this practice can be used to estimate carbon loading capacities and usages rates for the constituent present in a water stream at other concentrations.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the assessment of activated carbon for the removal of low concentrations of adsorbable constituents from water and wastewater using the bottle point isotherm technique. It can be used to characterize the adsorptive properties of virgin and reactivated activated carbons.  
1.2 This practice can be used in systems with constituent concentrations in the low milligrams per litre or micrograms per litre concentration ranges.  
1.3 This practice can be used to determine the adsorptive capacity of and Freundlich constants for volatile organic compounds provided the handling procedures described in this practice are followed carefully.  
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 The quantitative determination of acid-extractable content is useful in evaluating activated carbon samples that contain acid-soluble impurities. These acid-soluble impurities can affect applications of activated carbon.  
4.2 Limitations of Method—Hydrochloric acid is used in this test method as the extracting acid. All elements or compounds present in the activated carbon sample, which can be acid extracted, are assumed to form water-soluble chloride salts. Hydrochloric acid may not solubilize all impurities of activated carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method is to be used for determination of the acid-extractable content of a sample of activated carbon. This test method presupposes the existence of substances other than carbon to be present with activated carbon but does not purport to address or identify those substances which may be present. This test method should be applicable to any form in which activated carbon may exist and requires the performance of Test Method D2866.  
1.2 This test method requires the use of concentrated hydrochloric acid, which should be used in an appropriate and safe manner, with eye protection, skin protection, and handling carried out in a properly operating fume hood. The proper use of a muffle furnace is addressed in Test Method D2866.  
1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

ABSTRACT
This set of guidelines is offered to users of activated carbon to provide a better understanding of the reactivation process and some of the problems associated with sending carbon off-site or to a third party for thermal reactivation. It is not intended to serve as an operating procedure for those companies or persons that actually operate reactivation facilities. This is true because each reactivation facility is unique, using different types of furnaces, using various operating and performance requirements, and running spent activated carbons either in aggregate pools (combining different suppliers of carbon) or in custom segregated lots. Additionally, proprietary information for each facility relative to the particular equipment used cannot be addressed in a general set of guidelines. The equipment used for thermal reactivation process usually consists of rotary kilns, vertical tube furnaces, fluidized beds, or a multiple hearth furnace. All of these can be fired directly or indirectly. Auxiliary equipment to the furnace or kiln consists of feed screws, dewatering screws, direct feed bins, dust control equipment, product coolers, screening equipment, off-gas pollution abatement equipment, and tankage.
SCOPE
1.1 This set of guidelines is offered to users of activated carbon to provide a better understanding of the reactivation process and some of the problems associated with sending carbon offsite or to a third party for thermal reactivation. It is not intended to serve as an operating procedure for those companies or persons that actually operate reactivation facilities. This is true because each reactivation facility is unique, using different types of furnaces, using various operating and performance requirements, and running spent activated carbons either in aggregate pools (combining different suppliers of carbon) or in custom segregated lots. Additionally, proprietary information for each facility relative to the particular equipment used cannot be addressed in a general set of guidelines.  
1.2 This standard does not purport to address any environmental regulatory concerns associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate practices for reactivation prior to use.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 Granular activated carbon (GAC) is commonly used to remove contaminants from water. However if not used properly, GAC can not only be expensive but can at times be ineffective. The development of engineering data for the design of full-scale adsorbers often requires time-consuming and expensive pilot plant studies. This rapid standard practice has been developed to predict adsorption in large-scale adsorbers based upon results from small column testing. In contrast to pilot plant studies, the small-scale column test presented in this practice does not allow for a running evaluation of factors that may affect GAC performance over time. Such factors may include, for example, an increased removal of target compounds by bacterial colonizing GAC3 or long-term fouling of GAC caused by inorganic compounds or background organic matter.4 Nevertheless, this practice offers more relevant operational data than isotherm testing without the principal drawbacks of pilot plant studies, namely time and expense; and unlike pilot plant studies, small-scale studies can be performed in a laboratory using water sampled from a remote location.  
5.2 This practice known as the rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) uses empty bed contact time (EBCT) and hydraulic loading to describe the adsorption process. Mean carbon particle diameter is used to scale RSSCT results to predict the performance of a full-scale adsorber.  
5.3 This practice can be used to compare the effectiveness of different activated carbons for the removal of contaminants from a common water stream.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a test method for the evaluation of granular activated carbon (GAC) for the adsorption of soluble pollutants from water. This practice can be used to estimate the operating capacities of virgin and reactivated granular activated carbons. The results obtained from the small-scale column testing can be used to predict the adsorption of target compounds on GAC in a large column or full-scale adsorber application.  
1.2 This practice can be applied to all types of water including synthetically contaminated water (prepared by spiking high-purity water with selected contaminants), potable waters, industrial wastewaters, sanitary wastes, and effluent waters.  
1.3 This practice is useful for the determination of breakthrough curves for specific contaminants in water, the determination of the lengths of the adsorbates mass transfer zones (MTZ), and the prediction of GAC usage rates for larger scale adsorbers.  
1.4 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section, Section 10, of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 The iodine number is a relative indicator of porosity in an activated carbon. It does not necessarily provide a measure of the carbon's ability to absorb other species. Iodine number may be used as an approximation of surface area for some types of activated carbons (see Test Method C819). However, it must be realized that any relationship between surface area and iodine number cannot be generalized. It varies with changes in carbon raw material, processing conditions, and pore volume distribution (see Terminology D2652).  
4.2 The presence of adsorbed volatiles, sulfur, and water extractables may affect the measured iodine number of an activated carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the relative activation level of unused or reactivated carbons by adsorption of iodine from aqueous solution. The amount of iodine absorbed (in milligrams) by 1 g of carbon using test conditions listed herein is called the iodine number.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Specific hazard statements are given in Section 7.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 In certain applications, the ash, color, conductivity, or pH of the finished activated carbon product may be influenced by the quantity of water solubles it contains. This water solubles test provides a relative indication of the quantity of soluble materials that may be extracted from various activated carbons.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the water-soluble content of (unused) granular and powdered activated carbons. Water solubles are materials that can be extracted by distilled water under reflux conditions and are expressed as a percentage of dry carbon weight.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is used when activated carbon is considered as an adsorbent in treating water. Since both granular and powdered activated carbons are commercially available, a standard practice is needed to ensure that the activated carbons are evaluated under the same test conditions. Specified particle size carbon is to be used to ensure that the same test conditions are used. The practice is generally performed at 20 °C; however, other temperatures may be used and noted.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the determination of the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon to remove undesirable constituents from water and waste water. It can be used to evaluate the adsorptive capacity of activated or reactivated carbon.  
1.2 This practice is not recommended unless special precautions are taken to reduce loss during sample preparation and analysis.  
1.3 This practice is recommended to determine the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon for the following applications, but is not limited to these applications:  
1.3.1 Removal of color from dye mill waste water,  
1.3.2 Removal of taste or odor constituents, or both, from potable waters,  
1.3.3 Removal of toxicants from water,  
1.3.4 Removal of surface-active agents from water,  
1.3.5 Removal of BOD5 from sanitary waste waters, and  
1.3.6 Removal of TOC from industrial waste waters.  
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 The determination of contact pH can be used as a simple and fast measurement that can allow activated carbon producers and users to have a standard method for assessing the effect various carbons will have on the initial pH of the water in contact with the carbon. It has been determined that there is a bias between this method and Test Method D3838; they are not equivalent.
SCOPE
1.1 This method is to be used in the determination of the pH of water on initial contact with activated carbon. This test method is not meant as a replacement for Test Method D3838 and may give a different value.  
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.3 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 In certain applications, such as acid purification, acidic food or chemical purification or decolorization, or other applications wherein iron may be leached out of the carbon, the use of acid-washed carbons will reduce or eliminate color pickup in the effluent or in the product. The acid soluble iron content is usually specified by the carbon supplier to prevent unacceptable levels of iron leach occurring.  
5.2 Detection limits, sensitivity, and optimum ranges will vary with the models of atomic absorption spectrophotometers. General instrumental parameters are as follows:  
5.2.1 Iron hollow cathode lamp.  
5.2.2 Wavelength: 248.3 nm.  
5.2.3 Fuel: acetylene (high purity).  
5.2.4 Oxidant: air (from compressed air line, laboratory compressor, or a cylinder of compressed air—all need to be clean and dry).  
5.2.5 Type of flame: oxidizing.  
5.2.6 The following lines may also be used:    
248.8 nm Relative Sensitivity 2  
271.9 nm Relative Sensitivity 4  
302.1 nm Relative Sensitivity 5  
252.7 nm Relative Sensitivity 6  
372.0 nm Relative Sensitivity 10  
5.3 The method, as written, is intended for carbons having an acid soluble iron content of 0.0030 to 0.050 %. For carbons having higher iron contents, larger dilutions or smaller aliquots may be used.  
5.4 The user should validate that there are no interferences from other metals in the sample matrix.  
5.5 To prevent erroneous results, the user should ensure that no iron instruments contact any of the sample or the solutions used in this procedure. Only glass, ceramics, or plastic should be allowed to contact the sample or solutions.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the acid soluble iron content of granular and powdered activated carbons, using an atomic absorption spectroscopy method by direct aspiration. Hydrochloric acid is used to extract the iron. This test method is not directly usable to determine the total iron concentration of a sample.  
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For a specific hazard statement, see Section 8.  
1.3 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The particle size of powdered activated carbon is sometimes used to evaluate filter cake filtration rates and the filter penetration in filtering applications. The selection and handling of powdered activated carbon, and operation of processes using powdered activated carbon, requires the knowledge of the particle size.  
Note 1: Relative humidity (RH) can affect the repeatability and accuracy of this test. Activated carbon not at equilibrium with the RH of the ambient air may lose or gain weight accordingly, dependent upon whether or not the carbon picks up or loses moisture.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the particle size of powdered activated carbons using an air-jet sieve device. For purposes of this test method, powdered activated carbon is defined as activated carbon in particle sizes predominantly smaller than 80 mesh.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The inch-pound units given in parentheses are for information only.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This test method is used to determine the density expressed in g/mL for powdered or fine mesh carbon. Due to the nature of the small particles, the density of these carbon types cannot be measured using the same procedure as granular carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the mechanically tapped density of powdered and fine mesh activated carbon. For the purpose of this test method, “powdered carbon” is defined as having a mean particle diameter less than 45 µm, and “fine mesh carbon” is defined as having a particle size predominately between 80 and 325 U.S. Standard mesh.  
1.2 The values in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measure are included in this standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 When a fluid containing an adsorbate is passed through a bed of activated carbon, chemical reactions may take place between the activated carbon, its other noncarbonaceous constituents, and the adsorbate-containing fluid. The pH of the carbon may be a significant parameter of such a reaction and therefore may be an important characteristic of the carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers determination of the pH of a water extract of activated carbon.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific hazard statements, see Section 6.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice allows the adsorption capacity at equilibrium of an activated carbon for adsorbable constituents present in water to be determined. The Freundlich K and 1/n constants that can be calculated based upon information collected using this practice can be used to estimate carbon loading capacities and usages rates for the constituent present in a water stream at other concentrations.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the assessment of activated carbon for the removal of low concentrations of adsorbable constituents from water and wastewater using the bottle point isotherm technique. It can be used to characterize the adsorptive properties of virgin and reactivated activated carbons.  
1.2 This practice can be used in systems with constituent concentrations in the low milligrams per litre or micrograms per litre concentration ranges.  
1.3 This practice can be used to determine the adsorptive capacity of and Freundlich constants for volatile organic compounds provided the handling procedures described in this practice are followed carefully.  
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.5 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 The quantitative determination of acid-extractable content is useful in evaluating activated carbon samples that contain acid-soluble impurities. These acid-soluble impurities can affect applications of activated carbon.  
4.2 Limitations of Method—Hydrochloric acid is used in this test method as the extracting acid. All elements or compounds present in the activated carbon sample, which can be acid extracted, are assumed to form water-soluble chloride salts. Hydrochloric acid may not solubilize all impurities of activated carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method is to be used for determination of the acid-extractable content of a sample of activated carbon. This test method presupposes the existence of substances other than carbon to be present with activated carbon but does not purport to address or identify those substances which may be present. This test method should be applicable to any form in which activated carbon may exist and requires the performance of Test Method D2866.  
1.2 This test method requires the use of concentrated hydrochloric acid, which should be used in an appropriate and safe manner, with eye protection, skin protection, and handling carried out in a properly operating fume hood. The proper use of a muffle furnace is addressed in Test Method D2866.  
1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determines the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 Granular activated carbon (GAC) is commonly used to remove contaminants from water. However if not used properly, GAC can not only be expensive but can at times be ineffective. The development of engineering data for the design of full-scale adsorbers often requires time-consuming and expensive pilot plant studies. This rapid standard practice has been developed to predict adsorption in large-scale adsorbers based upon results from small column testing. In contrast to pilot plant studies, the small-scale column test presented in this practice does not allow for a running evaluation of factors that may affect GAC performance over time. Such factors may include, for example, an increased removal of target compounds by bacterial colonizing GAC3 or long term fouling of GAC caused by inorganic compounds or background organic matter4. Nevertheless, this practice offers more relevant operational data than isotherm testing without the principal drawbacks of pilot plant studies, namely time and expense; and unlike pilot plant studies, small scale studies can be performed in a laboratory using water sampled from a remote location.  
5.2 This practice known as the rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) uses empty bed contact time (EBCT) and hydraulic loading to describe the adsorption process. Mean carbon particle diameter is used to scale RSSCT results to predict the performance of a full-scale adsorber.  
5.3 This practice can be used to compare the effectiveness of different activated carbons for the removal of contaminants from a common water stream.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a test method for the evaluation of granular activated carbon (GAC) for the adsorption of soluble pollutants from water. This practice can be used to estimate the operating capacities of virgin and reactivated granular activated carbons. The results obtained from the small-scale column testing can be used to predict the adsorption of target compounds on GAC in a large column or full scale adsorber application.  
1.2 This practice can be applied to all types of water including synthetically contaminated water (prepared by spiking high purity water with selected contaminants), potable waters, industrial waste waters, sanitary wastes and effluent waters.  
1.3 This practice is useful for the determination of breakthrough curves for specific contaminants in water, the determination of the lengths of the adsorbates mass transfer zones (MTZ) and the prediction of GAC usage rates for larger scale adsorbers.  
1.4 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section, Section 10, of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 In certain applications, the ash, color, conductivity, or pH of the finished activated carbon product may be influenced by the quantity of water solubles it contains. This water solubles test provides a relative indication of the quantity of soluble materials that may be extracted from various activated carbons.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the water soluble content of (unused) granular and powdered activated carbons. Water solubles are materials that can be extracted by distilled water under reflux conditions and are expressed as a percentage of dry carbon weight.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

ABSTRACT
This set of guidelines is offered to users of activated carbon to provide a better understanding of the reactivation process and some of the problems associated with sending carbon off-site or to a third party for thermal reactivation. It is not intended to serve as an operating procedure for those companies or persons that actually operate reactivation facilities. This is true because each reactivation facility is unique, using different types of furnaces, using various operating and performance requirements, and running spent activated carbons either in aggregate pools (combining different suppliers of carbon) or in custom segregated lots. Additionally, proprietary information for each facility relative to the particular equipment used cannot be addressed in a general set of guidelines. The equipment used for thermal reactivation process usually consists of rotary kilns, vertical tube furnaces, fluidized beds, or a multiple hearth furnace. All of these can be fired directly or indirectly. Auxiliary equipment to the furnace or kiln consists of feed screws, dewatering screws, direct feed bins, dust control equipment, product coolers, screening equipment, off-gas pollution abatement equipment, and tankage.
SCOPE
1.1 This set of guidelines is offered to users of activated carbon to provide a better understanding of the reactivation process and some of the problems associated with sending carbon off-site or to a third party for thermal reactivation. It is not intended to serve as an operating procedure for those companies or persons that actually operate reactivation facilities. This is true because each reactivation facility is unique, using different types of furnaces, using various operating and performance requirements, and running spent activated carbons either in aggregate pools (combining different suppliers of carbon) or in custom segregated lots. Additionally, proprietary information for each facility relative to the particular equipment used cannot be addressed in a general set of guidelines.  
1.2 This standard does not purport to address any environmental regulatory concerns associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate practices for reactivation prior to use.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 This practice is used when activated carbon is considered as an adsorbent in treating water. Since both granular and powdered activated carbons are commercially available, a standard practice is needed to ensure that the activated carbons are evaluated under the same test conditions. Specified particle size carbon is to be used to ensure that the same test conditions are used. The practice is generally performed at 20°C; however, other temperatures may be used and noted.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the determination of the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon to remove undesirable constituents from water and waste water. It can be used to evaluate the adsorptive capacity of activated or reactivated carbon.  
1.2 This practice is not recommended unless special precautions are taken to reduce loss during sample preparation and analysis.  
1.3 This practice is recommended to determine the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon for the following applications, but is not limited to these applications:  
1.3.1 Removal of color from dye mill waste water,  
1.3.2 Removal of taste or odor constituents, or both, from potable waters,  
1.3.3 Removal of toxicants from water,  
1.3.4 Removal of surface active agents from water,  
1.3.5 Removal of BOD5 from sanitary waste waters, and  
1.3.6 Removal of TOC from industrial waste waters.  
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.5 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1 The iodine number is a relative indicator of porosity in an activated carbon. It does not necessarily provide a measure of the carbon's ability to absorb other species. Iodine number may be used as an approximation of surface area for some types of activated carbons (see Test Method C819). However, it must be realized that any relationship between surface area and iodine number cannot be generalized. It varies with changes in carbon raw material, processing conditions, and pore volume distribution (see Definitions D2652).  
4.2 The presence of adsorbed volatiles, sulfur; and water extractables may affect the measured iodine number of an activated carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the relative activation level of unused or reactivated carbons by adsorption of iodine from aqueous solution. The amount of iodine absorbed (in milligrams) by 1 g of carbon using test conditions listed herein is called the iodine number.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Specific hazard statements are given in Section 7.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 The particle size of powdered activated carbon is sometimes used to evaluate filter cake filtration rates and the filter penetration in filtering applications. The selection and handling of powdered activated carbon, and operation of processes using powdered activated carbon, requires the knowledge of the particle size. Note 1—Relative humidity (RH) can affect the repeatability and accuracy of this test. Activated carbon not at equilibrium with the RH of the ambient air may lose or gain weight accordingly, dependent upon whether or not the carbon picks up or loses moisture.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the particle size of powdered activated carbons using an air-jet sieve device. For purposes of this test method, powdered activated carbon is defined as activated carbon in particle sizes predominantly smaller than 80 mesh.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The inch-pound units given in parentheses are for information only.  
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
In certain applications, such as acid purification, acidic food or chemical purification or decolorization, or other applications wherein iron may be leached out of the carbon, the use of acid-washed carbons will reduce or eliminate color pickup in the effluent or in the product. The acid soluble iron content is usually specified by the carbon supplier to prevent unacceptable levels of iron leach occurring.
Detection limits, sensitivity, and optimum ranges will vary with the models of atomic absorption spectrophotometers. General instrumental parameters are as follows:
Iron hollow cathode lamp.
Wavelength: 248.3 nm.
Fuel: acetylene (high purity).
Oxidant: air (from compressed air line, laboratory compressor, or a cylinder of compressed airall need to be clean and dry).
Type of flame: oxidizing.
The following lines may also be used:
248.8 nm Relative Sensitivity 2 271.9 nm Relative Sensitivity 4 302.1 nm Relative Sensitivity 5 252.7 nm Relative Sensitivity 6 372.0 nm Relative Sensitivity 10
The method, as written, is intended for carbons having an acid soluble iron content of 0.0030 to 0.050 % For carbons having higher iron contents, larger dilutions or smaller aliquots may be used.
The user should validate that there are no interferences from other metals in the sample matrix.
To prevent erroneous results, the user should ensure that no iron instruments contact any of the sample or the solutions used in this procedure. Only glass, ceramics, or plastic should be allowed to contact the sample or solutions.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the acid soluble iron content of granular and powdered activated carbons, using an atomic absorption spectroscopy method by direct aspiration. Hydrochloric acid is used to extract the iron. This test method is not directly usable to determine the total iron concentration of a sample.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For a specific hazard statement, see Section 8.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
The determination of contact pH can be used as a simple and fast measurement that can allow activated carbon producers and users to have a standard method for assessing the effect various carbons will have on the initial pH of the water in contact with the carbon. It has been determined that there is a bias between this method and Test Method D3838; they are not equivalent.
SCOPE
1.1 This method is to be used in the determination of the pH of water on initial contact with activated carbon. This test method is not meant as a replacement for Test Method D3838 and may give a different value.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
The iodine number is a relative indicator of porosity in an activated carbon. It does not necessarily provide a measure of the carbon's ability to absorb other species. Iodine number may be used as an approximation of surface area for some types of activated carbons (see Test Method ). However, it must be realized that any relationship between surface area and iodine number cannot be generalized. It varies with changes in carbon raw material, processing conditions, and pore volume distribution (see Definitions D2652).  
The presence of adsorbed volatiles, sulfur; and water extractables may affect the measured iodine number of an activated carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the relative activation level of unused or reactivated carbons by adsorption of iodine from aqueous solution. The amount of iodine absorbed (in milligrams) by 1 g of carbon using test conditions listed herein is called the iodine number.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Specific hazard statements are given in Section 7.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
When a fluid containing an adsorbate is passed through a bed of activated carbon, chemical reactions may take place between the activated carbon, its other noncarbonaceous constituents, and the adsorbate containing fluid. The pH of the carbon may be a significant parameter of such a reaction and therefore may be an important characteristic of the carbon.
SCOPE
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific hazard statements, see Section 6.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
The quantitative determination of acid extractable content is useful in evaluating activated carbon samples that contain acid soluble impurities. These acid soluble impurities can affect applications of activated carbon.
Limitations of Method—Hydrochloric acid is used in this test method as the extracting acid. All elements or compounds present in the activated carbon sample, which can be acid extracted, are assumed to form water soluble chloride salts. Hydrochloric acid may not solubilize all impurities of activated carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method is to be used for determination of the acid extractable content of a sample of activated carbon. This test method presupposes the existence of substances other than carbon to be present with activated carbon but does not purport to address or identify those substances which may be present. This test method should be applicable to any form in which activated carbon may exist and requires the performance of Test Method D2866.
1.2 This test method requires the use of concentrated hydrochloric acid, which should be used in an appropriate and safe manner, with eye protection, skin protection and handling carried out in a properly operating fume hood. The proper use of a muffle furnace is addressed in Test Method D2866.
1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determines the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
This practice allows the adsorption capacity at equilibrium of an activated carbon for adsorbable constituents present in water to be determined. The Freundlich K and 1/n constants that can be calculated based upon information collected using this practice can be used to estimate carbon loading capacities and usages rates for the constituent present in a water stream at other concentrations.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the assessment of activated carbon for the removal of low concentrations of adsorbable constituents from water and wastewater using the bottle point isotherm technique. It can be used to characterize the adsorptive properties of virgin and reactivated activated carbons.  
1.2 This practice can be used in systems with constituent concentrations in the low milligrams per litre or micrograms per litre concentration ranges.  
1.3 This practice can be used to determine the adsorptive capacity of and Freundlich constants for volatile organic compounds provided the handling procedures described in this practice are followed carefully.  
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.5 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
In certain applications, the ash, color, conductivity, or pH of the finished activated carbon product may be influenced by the quantity of water solubles it contains. This water solubles test provides a relative indication of the quantity of soluble materials that may be extracted from various activated carbons.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the water soluble content of (unused) granular and powdered activated carbons. Water solubles are materials that can be extracted by distilled water under reflux conditions and are expressed as a percentage of dry carbon weight.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
This practice is used when activated carbon is considered as an adsorbent in treating water. Since both granular and powdered activated carbons are commercially available, a standard practice is needed to ensure that the activated carbons are evaluated under the same test conditions. Specified particle size carbon is to be used to ensure that the same test conditions are used. The practice is generally performed at 20°C; however, other temperatures may be used and noted.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the determination of the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon to remove undesirable constituents from water and waste water. It can be used to evaluate the adsorptive capacity of activated or reactivated carbon.  
1.2 This practice is not recommended unless special precautions are taken to reduce loss during sample preparation and analysis.
1.3 This practice is recommended to determine the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon for the following applications, but is not limited to these applications:
1.3.1 Removal of color from dye mill waste water,
1.3.2 Removal of taste or odor constituents, or both, from potable waters,
1.3.3 Removal of toxicants from water,
1.3.4 Removal of surface active agents from water,
1.3.5 Removal of BOD5 from sanitary waste waters, and
1.3.6 Removal of TOC from industrial waste waters.
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.5 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
Granular activated carbon (GAC) is commonly used to remove contaminants from water. However if not used properly, GAC can not only be expensive but can at times be ineffective. The development of engineering data for the design of full-scale adsorbers often requires time-consuming and expensive pilot plant studies. This rapid standard practice has been developed to predict adsorption in large-scale adsorbers based upon results from small column testing. In contrast to pilot plant studies, the small-scale column test presented in this practice does not allow for a running evaluation of factors that may affect GAC performance over time. Such factors may include, for example, an increased removal of target compounds by bacterial colonizing GAC or long term fouling of GAC caused by inorganic compounds or background organic matter . Nevertheless, this practice offers more relevant operational data than isotherm testing without the principal drawbacks of pilot plant studies, namely time and expense; and unlike pilot plant studies, small scale studies can be performed in a laboratory using water sampled from a remote location.
This practice known as the rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) uses empty bed contact time (EBCT) and hydraulic loading to describe the adsorption process. Mean carbon particle diameter is used to scale RSSCT results to predict the performance of a full-scale adsorber.
This practice can be used to compare the effectiveness of different activated carbons for the removal of contaminants from a common water stream.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a test method for the evaluation of granular activated carbon (GAC) for the adsorption of soluble pollutants from water. This practice can be used to estimate the operating capacities of virgin and reactivated granular activated carbons. The results obtained from the small-scale column testing can be used to predict the adsorption of target compounds on GAC in a large column or full scale adsorber application.
1.2 This practice can be applied to all types of water including synthetically contaminated water (prepared by spiking high purity water with selected contaminants), potable waters, industrial waste waters, sanitary wastes and effluent waters.
1.3 This practice is useful for the determination of breakthrough curves for specific contaminants in water, the determination of the lengths of the adsorbates mass transfer zones (MTZ) and the prediction of GAC usage rates for larger scale adsorbers.
1.4 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section, Section 10, of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
The determination of contact pH can be used as a simple and fast measurement that can allow activated carbon producers and users to have a standard method for assessing the effect various carbons will have on the initial pH of the water in contact with the carbon. It has been determined that there is a bias between this method and Test Method D 3838; they are not equivalent.
SCOPE
1.1 This method is to be used in the determination of the pH of water on initial contact with activated carbon. This test method is not meant as a replacement for Test Method D 3838 and may give a different value.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SCOPE
1.1 This method is to be used in the determination of the pH of water on initial contact with activated carbon. This test method is not meant as a replacement for Test Method D 3838 and may give a different value.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

ABSTRACT
This set of guidelines is offered to users of activated carbon to provide a better understanding of the reactivation process and some of the problems associated with sending carbon off-site or to a third party for thermal reactivation. It is not intended to serve as an operating procedure for those companies or persons that actually operate reactivation facilities. This is true because each reactivation facility is unique, using different types of furnaces, using various operating and performance requirements, and running spent activated carbons either in aggregate pools (combining different suppliers of carbon) or in custom segregated lots. Additionally, proprietary information for each facility relative to the particular equipment used cannot be addressed in a general set of guidelines. The equipment used for thermal reactivation process usually consists of rotary kilns, vertical tube furnaces, fluidized beds, or a multiple hearth furnace. All of these can be fired directly or indirectly. Auxiliary equipment to the furnace or kiln consists of feed screws, dewatering screws, direct feed bins, dust control equipment, product coolers, screening equipment, off-gas pollution abatement equipment, and tankage.
SCOPE
1.1 This set of guidelines is offered to users of activated carbon to provide a better understanding of the reactivation process and some of the problems associated with sending carbon off-site or to a third party for thermal reactivation. It is not intended to serve as an operating procedure for those companies or persons that actually operate reactivation facilities. This is true because each reactivation facility is unique, using different types of furnaces, using various operating and performance requirements, and running spent activated carbons either in aggregate pools (combining different suppliers of carbon) or in custom segregated lots. Additionally, proprietary information for each facility relative to the particular equipment used cannot be addressed in a general set of guidelines.
This standard does not purport to address any environmental regulatory concerns associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate practices for reactivation prior to use.
This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
The iodine number is a relative indicator of porosity in an activated carbon. It does not necessarily provide a measure of the carbon’ ability to absorb other species. Iodine number may be used as an approximation of surface area for some types of activated carbons (see Test Method C 819). However, it must be realized that any relationship between surface area and iodine number cannot be generalized. It varies with changes in carbon raw material, processing conditions, and pore volume distribution (see Definitions D 2652).  
The presence of adsorbed volatiles, sulfur; and water extractables may affect the measured iodine number of an activated carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the relative activation level of unused or reactivated carbons by adsorption of iodine from aqueous solution. The amount of iodine absorbed (in milligrams) by 1 g of carbon using test conditions listed herein is called the iodine number.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Specific hazard statements are given in Section 7.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
In certain applications, such as acid purification, acidic food or chemical purification or decolorization, or other applications wherein iron may be leached out of the carbon, the use of acid-washed carbons will reduce or eliminate color pickup in the effluent or in the product. The acid soluble iron content is usually specified by the carbon supplier to prevent unacceptable levels of iron leach occurring.
Detection limits, sensitivity, and optimum ranges will vary with the models of atomic absorption spectrophotometers. General instrumental parameters are as follows:
5.2.1 Iron hollow cathode lamp.
5.2.2 Wavelength: 248.3 nm.
5.2.3 Fuel: acetylene (high purity).
5.2.4 Oxidant: air (from compressed air line, laboratory compressor, or a cylinder of compressed air—all need to be clean and dry).
5.2.5 Type of flame: oxidizing.
5.2.6 The following lines may also be used:
248.8 nm Relative Sensitivity 2 271.9 nm Relative Sensitivity 4 302.1 nm Relative Sensitivity 5 252.7 nm Relative Sensitivity 6 372.0 nm Relative Sensitivity 10
The method, as written, is intended for carbons having an acid soluble iron content of 0.0030 to 0.050 % For carbons having higher iron contents, larger dilutions or smaller aliquots may be used.
The user should validate that there are no interferences from other metals in the sample matrix.
To prevent erroneous results, the user should ensure that no iron instruments contact any of the sample or the solutions used in this procedure. Only glass, ceramics, or plastic should be allowed to contact the sample or solutions.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the acid soluble iron content of granular and powdered activated carbons, using an atomic absorption spectroscopy method by direct aspiration. Hydrochloric acid is used to extract the iron. This test method is not directly usable to determine the total iron concentration of a sample.
This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For a specific hazard statement, see Section 8.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
This practice allows the adsorption capacity at equilibrium of an activated carbon for adsorbable constituents present in water to be determined. The Freundlich K and 1/n constants that can be calculated based upon information collected using this practice can be used to estimate carbon loading capacities and usages rates for the constituent present in a water stream at other concentrations.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the assessment of activated carbon for the removal of low concentrations of adsorbable constituents from water and wastewater using the bottle point isotherm technique. It can be used to characterize the adsorptive properties of virgin and reactivated activated carbons.
1.2 This practice can be used in systems with constituent concentrations in the low milligrams per litre or micrograms per litre concentration ranges.
1.3 This practice can be used to determine the adsorptive capacity of and Freundlich constants for volatile organic compounds provided the handling procedures described in this practice are followed carefully.
The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
The quantitative determination of acid extractable content is useful in evaluating activated carbon samples that contain acid soluble impurities. These acid soluble impurities can affect applications of activated carbon.
Limitations of Method—Hydrochloric acid is used in this test method as the extracting acid. All elements or compounds present in the activated carbon sample, which can be acid extracted, are assumed to form water soluble chloride salts. Hydrochloric acid may not solubilize all impurities of activated carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method is to be used for determination of the acid extractable content of a sample of activated carbon. This test method presupposes the existence of substances other than carbon to be present with activated carbon but does not purport to address or identify those substances which may be present. This test method should be applicable to any form in which activated carbon may exist and requires the performance of Test Method D 2866.
1.2 This test method requires the use of concentrated hydrochloric acid, which should be used in an appropriate and safe manner, with eye protection, skin protection and handling carried out in a properly operating fume hood. The proper use of a muffle furnace is addressed in Test Method D 2866.
This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determines the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
The particle size of powdered activated carbon is sometimes used to evaluate filter cake filtration rates and the filter penetration in filtering applications. The selection and handling of powdered activated carbon, and operation of processes using powdered activated carbon, requires the knowledge of the particle size.  
Note 1—Relative humidity (RH) can affect the repeatability and accuracy of this test. Activated carbon not at equilibrium with the RH of the ambient air may lose or gain weight accordingly, dependent upon whether or not the carbon picks up or loses moisture.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the particle size of powdered activated carbons using an air-jet sieve device. For purposes of this test method, powdered activated carbon is defined as activated carbon in particle sizes predominantly smaller than 80 mesh.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The inch-pound units given in parentheses are for information only.
This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
When a fluid containing an adsorbate is passed through a bed of activated carbon, chemical reactions may take place between the activated carbon, its other noncarbonaceous constituents, and the adsorbate containing fluid. The pH of the carbon may be a significant parameter of such a reaction and therefore may be an important characteristic of the carbon.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers determination of the pH of a water extract of activated carbon.  
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety problems associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific hazard statements, see Section 6.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
In certain applications, the ash, color, conductivity, or pH of the finished activated carbon product may be influenced by the quantity of water solubles it contains. This water solubles test provides a relative indication of the quantity of soluble materials that may be extracted from various activated carbons.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the water soluble content of (unused) granular and powdered activated carbons. Water solubles are materials that can be extracted by distilled water under reflux conditions and are expressed as a percentage of dry carbon weight.
This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
This practice is used when activated carbon is considered as an adsorbent in treating water. Since both granular and powdered activated carbons are commercially available, a standard practice is needed to ensure that the activated carbons are evaluated under the same test conditions. Specified particle size carbon is to be used to ensure that the same test conditions are used. The practice is generally performed at 20°C; however, other temperatures may be used and noted.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers the determination of the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon to remove undesirable constituents from water and waste water. It can be used to evaluate the adsorptive capacity of activated or reactivated carbon.
1.2 This practice is not recommended unless special precautions are taken to reduce loss during sample preparation and analysis.
1.3 This practice is recommended to determine the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon for the following applications, but is not limited to these applications:
1.3.1 Removal of color from dye mill waste water,
1.3.2 Removal of taste or odor constituents, or both, from potable waters,
1.3.3 Removal of toxicants from water,
1.3.4 Removal of surface active agents from water,
1.3.5 Removal of BOD5 from sanitary waste waters, and
1.3.6 Removal of TOC from industrial waste waters.
1.4 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
Granular activated carbon (GAC) is commonly used to remove contaminants from water. However if not used properly, GAC can not only be expensive but can at times be ineffective. The development of engineering data for the design of full-scale adsorbers often requires time-consuming and expensive pilot plant studies. This rapid standard practice has been developed to predict adsorption in large-scale adsorbers based upon results from small column testing. In contrast to pilot plant studies, the small-scale column test presented in this practice does not allow for a running evaluation of factors that may affect GAC performance over time. Such factors may include, for example, an increased removal of target compounds by bacterial colonizing GAC3 or long term fouling of GAC caused by inorganic compounds or background organic matter4 . Nevertheless, this practice offers more relevant operational data than isotherm testing without the principal drawbacks of pilot plant studies, namely time and expense; and unlike pilot plant studies, small scale studies can be performed in a laboratory using water sampled from a remote location.
This practice known as the rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) uses empty bed contact time (EBCT) and hydraulic loading to describe the adsorption process. Mean carbon particle diameter is used to scale RSSCT results to predict the performance of a full-scale adsorber.
This practice can be used to compare the effectiveness of different activated carbons for the removal of contaminants from a common water stream.
SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a test method for the evaluation of granular activated carbon (GAC) for the adsorption of soluble pollutants from water. This practice can be used to estimate the operating capacities of virgin and reactivated granular activated carbons. The results obtained from the small-scale column testing can be used to predict the adsorption of target compounds on GAC in a large column or full scale adsorber application.
1.2 This practice can be applied to all types of water including synthetically contaminated water (prepared by spiking high purity water with selected contaminants), potable waters, industrial waste waters, sanitary wastes and effluent waters.
1.3 This practice is useful for the determination of breakthrough curves for specific contaminants in water, the determination of the lengths of the adsorbates mass transfer zones (MTZ) and the prediction of GAC usage rates for larger scale adsorbers.
1.4 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section, Section 10, of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
The determination of contact pH can be used as a simple and fast measurement that can allow activated carbon producers and users to have a standard method for assessing the effect various carbons will have on the initial pH of the water in contact with the carbon. It has been determined that there is a bias between this method and Test Method D 3838; they are not equivalent.
SCOPE
1.1 This method is to be used in the determination of the pH of water on initial contact with activated carbon. This test method is not meant as a replacement for Test Method D 3838 and may give a different value.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SCOPE
1.1 This set of guidelines is offered to users of activated carbon to provide a better understanding of the reactivation process and some of the problems associated with sending carbon off-site or to a third party for thermal reactivation. It is not intended to serve as an operating procedure for those companies or persons that actually operate reactivation facilities. This is true because each reactivation facility is unique, using different types of furnaces, using various operating and performance requirements, and running spent activated carbons either in aggregate pools (combining different suppliers of carbon) or in custom segregated lots. Additionally, proprietary information for each facility relative to the particular equipment used cannot be addressed in a general set of guidelines.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address any environmental regulatory concerns associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate practices for reactivation prior to use.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.

SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the acid soluble iron content of granular and powdered activated carbons, using an atomic absorption spectroscopy method by direct aspiration. Hydrochloric acid is used to extract the iron. This test method is not directly usable to determine the total iron concentration of a sample.
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For a specific hazard statement, see Section 8.

SCOPE
1.1 This practice covers a test method for the evaluation of granular activated carbon (GAC) for the adsorption of soluble pollutants from water. This practice can be used to estimate the operating capacities of virgin and reactivated granular activated carbons. The results obtained from the small-scale column testing can be used to predict the adsorption of target compounds on GAC in a large column or full scale adsorber application.
1.2 This practice can be applied to all types of water including synthetically contaminated water (prepared by spiking high purity water with selected contaminants), potable waters, industrial waste waters, sanitary wastes and effluent waters.
1.3 This practice is useful for the determination of breakthrough curves for specific contaminants in water, the determination of the lengths of the adsorbates mass transfer zones (MTZ) and the prediction of GAC usage rates for larger scale adsorbers.
1.4 The following safety caveat applies to the procedure section, Section 10, of this practice: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers determination of the pH of a water extract of activated carbon.  
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety problems associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. For specific hazard statements, see Section 6.

SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the relative activation level of unused or reactivated carbons by adsorption of iodine from aqueous solution. The amount of iodine absorbed (in milligrams) by 1 g of carbon using test conditions listed herein is called the iodine number.  
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Specific hazard statements are given in Section 7.