Demystifying Impact of NOM Fouling in the Pore and Surface Diffusion Model

Adsorption process modeling of drinking water systems can be a powerful tool for evaluating treatment performance, especially if the impact of natural organic matter (NOM), which can have a significant effect on system effectiveness, is considered. Models such as the pore and surface diffusion model (PSDM) in AdDesignS have been used extensively to model water treatment with granular activated carbon (GAC). PSDM can incorporate the impact of NOM on adsorption capacity; however, media fouling is only considered for five water types, limiting the extension of this approach or considering uncertainty in modeling results. A one‐point derivation process to simplify parameter estimation is introduced to provide additional understanding about the mechanisms of fouling and how it could be implemented within the PSDM. This could allow users to consider other factors—specifically total organic carbon breakthrough—when incorporating fouling into their GAC performance predictions, leading to improvements in future modeling efforts.