Removal of iodide from water by chlorination and subsequent adsorption on powdered activated carbon

Chlorine oxidation followed by treatment with activated carbon was studied as a possible method for removing radioactive iodine from water. Chlorination time, chlorine dose, the presence of natural organic matter (NOM), the presence of bromide ion (Br⁻), and carbon particle size strongly affected iodine removal. Treatment with superfine powdered activated carbon (SPAC) after 10-min oxidation with chlorine (1 mg-Cl₂/L) removed 90% of the iodine in NOM-containing water (dissolved organic carbon concentration, 1.5 mg-C/L). Iodine removal in NOM-containing water increased with increasing chlorine dose up to 0.1 mg-Cl₂/L but decreased at chlorine doses of >1.0 mg-Cl₂/L. At a low chlorine dose, nonadsorbable iodide ion (I⁻) was oxidized to adsorbable hypoiodous acid (HOI). When the chlorine dose was increased, some of the HOI reacted with NOM to form adsorbable organic iodine (organic-I). Increasing the chlorine dose further did not enhance iodine removal, owing to the formation of nonadsorbable iodate ion (IO₃⁻). Co-existing Br⁻ depressed iodine removal, particularly in NOM-free water, because hypobromous acid (HOBr) formed and catalyzed the oxidation of HOI to IO₃⁻. However, the effect of Br⁻ was small in the NOM-containing water because organic-I formed instead of IO₃⁻. SPAC (median particle diameter, 0.62 μm) had a higher equilibrium adsorption capacity for organic-I than did conventional PAC (median diameter, 18.9 μm), but the capacities of PAC and SPAC for HOI were similar. The reason for the higher equilibrium adsorption capacity for organic-I was that organic-I was adsorbed principally on the exterior of the PAC particles and not inside the PAC particles, as indicated by direct visualization of the solid-phase iodine concentration profiles in PAC particles by field emission electron probe microanalysis. In contrast, HOI was adsorbed evenly throughout the entire PAC particle.