This study investigated the removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) by an adsorption mechanism
using commercially available activated carbons and surface-modified activated carbons. The effects of the
modification on the properties of the activated carbonwere studied by N2 adsorption/desorption, Diffuse
Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transmission (DRIFT) analysis and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS).
Adsorption experiments revealed that the activated carbons demonstrated a greater capacity for NDMA
adsorption capacity than can be achieved using zeolite. The equilibrium data was fitted to the Freundlich
equation and it was found that the adsorption capacity was significantly influenced by the micropore
size, relative pore volume and surface characteristics. Adsorption experiments were conducted using
unmodified and modified activated carbons. The results indicated that the adsorption capacity of NDMA
can be significantly improved by heat treatment and doping of TiO2 particles. Thiswas because the surface
treatments yielded more hydrophobic sites and fewer oxygen-containing surface functional groups, and
consequently an increased capacity for NDMA adsorption.