Removal of Trihalomethanes by Dual Filtering Media (GAC-Sand) at El-Manshia Water Purification Plant.

Prechlorination is used as an initial step in water purification for public supply. One of the drawbacks of the prechlorination is the reaction between natural organic matters with chlorine forming trihalmethanes. This study aims at evaluating the performance of granular activated carbon (GAC) with sand as a dual filtering media with different depths on removal of trihalomethanes (THMs) for improving water quality. The Czeck sand filter at El-Manshia Water Purification Plant was chosen in this study in order to improve its water quality. The pilot filter was designed to work as mono medium sand filter and dual GAC-Sand media. The depths of GAC were 5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, and 40 cm over 115 cm, 110 cm, 105 cm, 100 cm, 90 cm, and 80 cm of sand, respectively. The six filter depths of GAC in the dual filter were studied to choose the optimum depth of GAC to improve water quality especially for THMs removal and comparing with mono-sand media and with Czeck filter. The results showed that the GAC-Sand dual media filter of 30 cm depth of GAC and 90 cm sand was the best depth for improving water quality where it was efficient in adsorbing mostly the total trihalomethanes in which its percentage of removal was 87%. The filtered water turbidity had an average of 0.3 NTU and its percentage of removal was 90%, algae removal was 95%, but it had a poor effect on bacteria removal with 27% removal due to adsorption of residual chlorine by GAC. The study recommended replacing mono media by dual media filter to improve water quality where the GAC was efficient to remove trihalomethanes in which the relative concentration (C/Co) was 0.16. The benefit cost calculated on 30 cm depth of GAC is equal to 0.04 piaster/m(3). In addition, it resulted in longer filter run of 54 hrs compared to average filter run of 24 hr for Czech filters, as well as increased water productivity where unit filter run volume was 324 m(3)/m(2) instead of 144 m(3)/m(2) for Czech mono media.