This four-part series continues on with a look at how adsorption is utilized as a treatment.
In adsorption, solutes (contaminants) concentrate at the surface of a sorbent, thereby reducing their concentration in the bulk liquid phase. The adsorption media usually is packed into a column. As contaminated water is passed through the column, contaminants are adsorbed. When adsorption sites become filled, the column must be regenerated or disposed of and replaced with new media.