ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Modelling of Gas Phase Adsorption on Activated Carbon. I. Experiment and Equilibrium Model

E. Besedova, D. Bobok, S. Bafrncova, and P. Steltenpohl

Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, SK-812 37 Bratislava

E-mail: eva.besedova@stuba.sk

Received: 1 April 2004

Abstract: The course of breakthrough curve of acetone and cumene vapours mixture from a stream of nitrogen on a fixed bed of activated carbon Dezorex DB1 was measured at ambient temperature. During the process a competitive adsorption occurs, whereby acetone as the less adsorbing component was displaced by cumene. Mathematical models describing the course of equilibrium adsorption for isothermal and nonisothermal conditions were developed and used. The modified Langmuir isotherm for a two-component mixture was applied to describe the adsorption equilibrium. Experimental breakthrough curve was compared to the curves computed by equilibrium isothermal and nonisothermal models.
The breakthrough point of acetone on a fixed bed of activated carbon of a length 12 cm occurred after 55 min of contact time. According to the equilibrium nonisothermal model and isothermal model the breakthrough time of about 80 min and 95 min was calculated, respectively. The model breakthrough curves are much steeper. It can be expected that after involving the resistance against mass transfer into the model the shape of the model breakthrough curves will not be so steep.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 586a391.pdf

Chemical Papers 58 (6) 391–396 (2004)