A municipal wastewater was treated in a nominal 100 gpm pilot plant by chemical coagulation-precipitation, powdered activated carbon adsorption and granular media filtration. Spent carbon was gravity thickened, vacuum filter dewatered and thermally regenerated in a fluidized bed furnace. Solids-contact units were used for chemical treatment and carbon contacting. Ferric chloride, alum or lime were all found to effectively produce coagulation and phosphorus insolubilization. Based on total treatment costs, including sludge disposal, alum treatment was estimated to be the economic choice for Salt Lake City municipal wastewater. Organic removal in the powdered carbon contactors was substantially enhanced by anaerobic biological activity. The use of solids-contact treatment units for carbon contacting resulted in effecting gravity clarification without the use of chemicals. The powdered carbon physical-chemical treatment system produced a treated effluent similar to that expected for biological treatment followed by tertiary treatment for phosphorus removal. Carbon losses of 17 to 60 percent were experienced across the fluidized bed furnace regeneration system. The cause of high carbon losses was identified as ignition of carbon instead of gas which was injected into the fluidized bed to scavenge excess oxygen. (Author)