为了更好地理解颗粒活性炭（GAC）孔结构与吸附行为之间的关系，我们通过六种不同孔结构的GAC对五种不同分子尺寸吸附质的水相吸附能力来表征它们。吸附物包括碘、对硝基苯酚和三种有机染料:亚甲基蓝、结晶紫和刚果红。碘和对硝基苯酚的吸附行为被认为与小型合成化合物的现场吸附行为平行，而染料的行为预期与天然TOC的富里酸和小型腐殖酸化合物类似。这些化合物的吸附行为与通过使用两个模型分析77K下N2吸附等温线获得的孔径分布有效相关。 第一种是Barret、Joyner和Halenda（BJH）模型，该模型描述了总微孔体积和中孔体积分布。第二个是新发展的密度泛函理论（DFT）模型。DFT模型似乎为染料吸附行为提供了更好的相关性，尽管它似乎也包含了一个过度简化，这在8-14A孔隙宽度范围内的数据解释中存在缺陷。本文进行的研究提供了重要证据，表明特定孔径涉及从水相吸附有机分子。吸附所涉及的孔径范围在一定程度上取决于吸附分子的大小。

In order to better understand the relation between granular activated carbon (GAC) pore structure and adsorption behavior, six GACs of differing pore structures were characterized by their aqueous-phase adsorption capacity for five adsorbates of various molecular sizes. The adsorbates included iodine, p-nitrophenol and three organic dyes: Methylene Blue, Crystal Violet and Congo Red. The adsorption behavior of iodine and p-nitrophenol were believed to parallel the field adsorption behavior of small synthetic compounds, whereas the dyes were expected to behave similarly to the fulvic and small humic compounds of natural TOC. The adsorption behavior of these compounds was effectively correlated with pore size distributions obtained by analysis of N2 adsorption isotherms at 77 K using two models. The first is the Barret, Joyner and Halenda (BJH) model which characterizes the total micropore volume and the mesopore volume distribution. The second is the newly-developed density functional theory (DFT) model. The DFT model appeared to provide the better correlations to dye adsorption behavior although it also appeared to contain an over-simplification that flawed the data interpretation in the 8-14 A pore width range. The research conducted herein provides significant evidence that specific pore sizes involved for adsorbing organic molecules from the aqueous phase. The range of pore sizes involved in adsorption is dependent, in part, on the size of the adsorbing molecule.