Wastewater – Emphasis Shifting to Toxicity Reduction

Granular carbon is a proven method of removing organic materials that cause toxicity in a wastewater discharge.

Under the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program as a means of controlling the discharge of waste water to national surface water supplies. The NPDES program is used within the CWA to help prevent the discharge of “toxic materials in toxic amounts” to the nation’s waterways.
This paper looks at toxicity, its use as a permit criterion, and the evaluation of granular activated carbon (GAC) as a potential treatment technology.