Abstract
Activated carbon filtration follows the same adsorption principle where adsorbent molecules attach to adsorbate surface. Activated carbon cloth (ACC) was selected for sodium chloride (NaCl) removal from water and it was designed as if the carbon filter was placed before a membrane element. Investigated parameters included adsorption cycles, initial salt concentration, and applied electric potential. A brackish water of a TDS between 1000-3600 mg/L was prepared synthetically. Collected data were fitted to the Freundlich isotherm model and showed an expected linear relationship. It was established that adsorption rate increases with increasing adsorbate initial concentration, treatment cycles, and with applying an electric potential. Studied samples ACC-1, ACC-2, ACC-3, ACC-1E, ACC-2E, and ACC-3E (E refers to an applied 1.2 V potential) showed accumulated rejections of 3.94%, 6.44%, 6.74%, 9.35%, 11.56% and 12.24%, respectively. Results implied that it is possible to place ACC before membrane units in industrial and water treatment plants for treatment enhancement and membrane protection from possible fouling.