ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF APPLICATION OF PRETREATMENT SYSTEMS BEFORE GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON FILTRATION

Granular activated carbon (GAC) is used for removing an excessive amount of organic contaminants causing undesirable taste, odour or colour of water, and refractive micropollutants, such as heavy metals or toxic organic compounds. However, adsorption is one of the most expensive unit processes used in treatment and renewal of water. This is due to the high cost of granular active carbon and the necessity of its frequent exchange or regeneration. In the paper the authors present the results of the technological and economic analysis of preliminary water treatment systems before GAC filters. The analysis enabled to determine the profitability of these investments taking into account raw water quality and the life of carbon between regenerations. The simulation results showed that it is economically profitable to apply preliminary water treatment independently of analysed pretreatment systems.