The Northern Kentucky Water District (NKWD) recently completed reactivation of granular activated carbon (GAC), a component of their advanced treatment processes, at their Fort Thomas Treatment Plant.
GAC is placed into a contactor at the Fort Thomas Treatment Plant. (Photo from NKWD)
GAC traps chemicals and other soluble materials that may be present in the water. To reactivate carbon, it is removed from the treatment plants and shipped by tractor trailers to a facility where it is heated in a kiln to very high temperatures that destroy materials trapped inside the GAC. The reactivated GAC is then shipped back to the facility and placed into a contactor, which is a 10-12 feet concrete cell filled with GAC, and then returned to service.
NKWD uses a multi-barrier approach for water treatment that also includes conventional settling and filtration processes along with chlorine disinfection. GAC and ultraviolet disinfection, which are used by NKWD, are considered advanced water treatment. NKWD installed GAC in 2012.
“Granular activated carbon has been deemed by the Environmental Protection Agency as one of the best-available technologies for removing several chemical compounds, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals,” said Lindsey Rechtin, President/CEO of NKWD. “GAC helps strip soluble materials that can’t be filtered from water by other treatment processes, which makes it safer and cleaner for our customers.”
For more information about NKWD, visit the website at www.nkywater.org.
Northern Kentucky Water District
