Non-destructive measurement of residual adsorption capacity of charcoal filters

A non-destructive method has been developed to measure the residual adsorption capacity (RAC) of charcoal filter beds while in use. A small sample of a weakly adsorbed gas is pulsed as a square wave into the gas stream that passes through the adsorption filter. The effluent pulse is detected by means of an appropriate detector. The RAC of the carbon bed is proportional to the retantion time of the gas. The filter is an adsorption bed that behaves as a gas-solid Chromatograph, and only bare sites, not covered by heavy adsorbate, are available to the pulsed gas. The system chosen was M-11 gas mask canisters containing 2.8 cm × 87 cm² ASC Whetlerite charcoal beds loaded to various degrees with highly polar dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP), which simulated a strongly adsorbed pollutant. 10 cm³ aliquots of non-polar test gases methane and ethane were pulsed into a stream of dry air, at flow velocities of 5.47 l./min (1.05 cm/sec) and bed temperature of 25°C.The retention times of CH₄ dropped from 0.9 min over bare ASC Whetlerite to 0.5 min over carbon 50% saturated with DMMP. Ethane times fell from 24 to 7 min. The accuracy of RAC determination using methane was ± 1.0%. The time required for the test was < l min for methane, < 30 min for ethane.     

Improved design and optimization models for the fixed bed adsorption of acid dye and zinc ions from effluents

The bed depth service time (BDST) design model, which accounts for the change of bed adsorption capacity with service time, has been modified to expand its application and overcome the limiting assumptions of the original BDST analysis. Column experiments were undertaken to test the new model for two adsorption systems, namely zinc ion–bone char and Acid Blue 80 dye‐activated carbon. It was found that the percentage of saturation capacity could be correlated using a square‐root dependence on the service time and this correlation was incorporated into the original BDST analysis to replace the total sorption capacity term, giving the model a much wider application to real systems. The empty bed residence time optimization approach was modified using the same time‐dependent capacity expression and was successfully applied to the metal ion–bone char and the dye‐activated carbon system with the use of equilibrium saturated bed capacity. These modifications to the BDST design model and the EBRT optimization model will give more accurate scale‐up data for the design of large‐scale column adsorption systems. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Dependence of gas adsorption rates on carbon granule size and linear flow velocity

A study was made of the dependence of the adsorption rate constant of an activated carbon for dimethyl methylphosphonate vapor on carbon granule size and superficial linear velocity using the adsorption kinetics equation to calculate the rate constant from critical bed weight values. Over a 30-fold range of velocities and a 7-fold range of granule diameters it was found, in accord with adsorption kinetics theory, that although the adsorption capacity for the vapor was invariant, the time for vapor breakthrough of the bed varied because of the effects of linear flow velocity and carbon granule size on the adsorption rate constant. In general, the rate constant increased nonlinearly with increase in velocity and decrease in carbon granule size. The slowest adsorption kinetics existed for the largest granule size at the lowest linear flow velocity, becoming increasingly faster as the velocity was increased and/or the granule size was decreased. For the smallest granule size the rate constant reached a limiting value of 2600 sec^?1 becoming essentially independent of linear velocity due to a change in the rate controlling step.     

The rate of gas adsorption by activated carbon

A study was made of the rate of gas adsorption by activated carbon in terms of the functional dependence of the pseudo first order adsorption rate constant. Benzene was used as the adsorbate vapor and a packed bed column of a Pittsburgh activated carbon as the adsorbent. Benzene at a concentration of 2 × 10^?6 g/cm³, equivalent to a relative pressure of 0·005 at 25°C, was flowed into the carbon bed at superficial linear velocities ranging from 2 to 50 cm/sec. The time at which 1% of the inlet concentration appeared in the exit stream of the bed was the breakpoint time. By applying the Wheeler adsorption kinetic equation to the experimental plot of breakpoint time vs bed weight pseudo first order adsorption rate constants at various linear velocities were determined. Using a presumed mathematical model and an overdetermined set of six equations the Univac 1108 computer provided the coefficients for an expression showing the dependence of the adsorption rate constant on the linear flow velocity.     

A NONDESTRUCTIVE METHOD TO MEASURE RESIDUAL ADSORPTION CAPACITY OF CHARCOAL FILTERS

High surface area charcoal bed filters have been used for over a half a century to adsorb undesirable vapors from gas streams. One problem encountered when using these niter beds is that there is presently no simple, reliable, nondestructive method to measure their Residual Adsorption Capacity, RAC. This is particularly critical in situations where harmful vapors are being adsorbed.

An investigation has been underway to use pulses of weakly adsorbed gases such as ethane and/or methane to measure RAC. The hypothesis being that these weakly adsorbed gases will “count” unoccupied adsorption sites. In the present study, dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) was used to “irreversibly” occupy available siles to various extents on different niters. The Reduced Retention Time. θ, (the ratio of the adjusted retention time to the space time) and the Resolution (R) between peaks of methane and ethane were found to correlate to RAC under dry and wet (humid) conditions.     

Simplified fixed bed column model for adsorption of organic pollutants using tapered activated carbon columns

The dynamic adsorption of organic pollutants (an acid dye and para-chlorophenol) has been investigated via tapered column adsorbers using activated carbon. Equilibrium sorption isotherm experiments were determined to provide a crucial parameter, the saturation capacity (q_e) of each pollutant by F 400 carbon, for operating continuous adsorption columns. The Redlich–Peterson isotherm gave the best fit model to describe the sorption process of these organic pollutants onto F 400 carbon. Adsorption studies of organic pollutants have been carried out in novel tapered fixed bed columns using activated carbon. A series of columns with different tapered angles, from one to five degrees, have been used. Experimental data obtained from the breakthrough curves have been analysed using the Bed Depth Service Time (BDST) model in this paper. However, the conventional BDST model has not been applied to tapered beds before, as the linear velocity of adsorbate is changing along the column. Therefore, some modifications have been developed to the original model. The extended-modified BDST model has proved to be successful in correlating the bed height and service time for tapered column adsorption.     

The Sorption of Arsenic onto Activated Carbon Impregnated with Metallic Silver and Copper

Abstract

The adsorption of arsenic species in aqueous solutions onto activated carbon with and without chemical impregnation has been studied. The ability of activated carbon to adsorb arsenic depends on the arsenic oxidation state, the pH of the water, and the activity of the metal used for the activated carbon impregnation. The results of the investigations have shown that physical adsorption is effective only for the arsenic(V) species in water. Activated carbon adsorbs arsenic(V) with a saturation adsorption capacity of 0.27 mmol/g. The chemisorption process is effective for both arsenic species. By impregnation of activated carbon by copper, the sorption process for the arsenic(III) species is significantly improved. The saturation adsorption capacity of the activated carbon impregnated by copper is 0.41 and 0.23 mmol/g for the arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) species, respectively. The pH values of the water are important for both sorption processes because of the change in the ionic forms of both arsenic species. The optimal pH range is between 4 and 9, which is a consequence of the apparent affinity between the carbon surface and arsenic species H₃AsO₃ and H₂AsO₄ ^? that are predominant at this pH in water. Equilibrium isotherm analyses were undertaken using Langmuir and Freundlich equations.     

Removal of Acid Dyes from Aqueous Solutions using Chemically Activated Carbon

Abstract

Textile dyes (Acid Yellow 17 and Acid Orange 7) were removed from its aqueous solution in batch and continuous packed bed adsorption systems by using thermally activated Euphorbia macroclada carbon with respect to contact time, initial dye concentration, and temperature. The activated carbon was prepared using a cheap plant-based material called Euphorbia macroclada, which was chemically modified with K₂CO₃. Lagergren-first-order and second-order kinetic models were used to fit the experimental data. Equilibrium isotherms were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Equilibrium data fitted well the Langmuir model in the studied temperature (25–55°C) ranges. The maximum adsorption capacity of AY17 and AO7 onto activated carbon was found to be 161.29 and 455 mgg^?1, respectively by Langmuir isotherm at 55°C. Breakthrough curves for column adsorption have also been studied. The desorption of dyes has been experimentally investigated using NaOH solution of pH 11.     

Activation of a spherical carbon for toluene adsorption at low concentration

This paper complements a previous one [1] about toluene adsorption on a commercial spherical activated carbon and on samples obtained from it by CO₂ or steam activation. The present paper deals with the activation of a commercial spherical carbon (SC) having low porosity and high bed density (0.85 g/cm³) using the same procedure. Our results show that SC can be well activated with CO₂ or steam. The increase in the burn-off percentage leads to an increase in the gravimetric adsorption capacity (more intensively for CO₂) and a decrease in bed density (more intensively for CO₂). However, for similar porosity developments similar bed densities are achieved for CO₂ and steam. Especial attention is paid to differences between both activating agents, comparing samples having similar or different activation rates, showing that CO₂ generates more narrow porosity and penetrates more inside the spherical particles than steam. Steam activates more from the outside to the interior of the spheres and hence produces larger spheres size reductions. With both activating agents and with a suitable combination of porosity development and bed density, quite high toluene volumetric adsorption capacities (up to 236 g toluene/L) can be obtained, even using a low toluene concentration (200 ppmv).     

Comparison of a single grain activated carbon and column adsorption system

Results from a single grain activated carbon adsorption study indicate that the effective diffusion coefficient was from 0.65×10⁻⁶ to 7.4×10⁻⁶ cm²/s for H₂S in the concentration range of 20–300 ppmv at 23 °C for both virgin activated carbon (FAC) and impregnated-regenerative activated carbon (IRAC). The effective diffusivity of the IRAC was nearly two times the FAC for H₂S adsorption. The surface reaction of H₂S-impregnated regenerative activated carbon was faster than that of H₂S and virgin activated carbon. The single grain activated carbon kinetic curve and a time scale conversion method were used to predict the breakthrough curve and the adsorption capacity of the column adsorption system. The single grain activated carbon adsorption system measured the breakthrough curve more efficiently than column adsorption. The prediction error was between 10 and 30%. Improvement can be further achieved by enhanced experimental approaches. It has a great potential for scale-up.     

自动反冲活性炭净水器处理饮用水的实验研究

粒状活性炭净水器是净化饮用水的经济实用的深度净化设备,自动反冲洗活性炭净水器在使用寿命和运行操作上均优于传统活性炭净水器。本文对自动反冲洗活性炭净水器处理上海某区的自来水进行实验,考察了自动反冲洗活性炭净水器在不同处理水量时对污染物的去除效率,实验发现：该净水器对CODMn、色度、浊度及余氯均有较好的处理效果;自动反冲洗装置可延长活性炭使用寿命,活性炭依靠过滤截留和吸附的共同作用去除水中的浊度,利用现场快速检测余氯浓度,可间接判断活性炭是否失效。     

Kinetic modelling of gold cyanide multi-cycle adsorption and elution using activated carbon in the presence of foulants

A novel procedure was used to study the kinetics of multiple exposure of a granular activated carbon in a laboratory-scale packed bed to solutions containing gold and sodium cyanide, or in addition one of several organic reagents commonly used in mineral processing. The repeated use of a carbon sample simulated the practice in industrial gold recovery operations. A batch, unsteady state adsorption model which assumed constant intraparticle diffusivity of Au(CN)₂^- was used to model the kinetics of gold uptake. Upon repeated exposure of a carbon sample, up to a 3- to 4-fold decrease in the intraparticle diffusivity of Au(CN)₂^- was observed, combined with a much smaller loss of adsorption capacity.     

新型微波适应型复合活性炭的研制及其微波再生性能

微波再生技术被广泛认为是一种高效、节能的绿色再生技术。本文通过引入高热导率物质--膨胀石墨制备出新型微波适应型复合活性炭,解决目前活性炭在微波脱附过程中存在的温度梯度问题,同时开发VOCs活性炭吸附-微波再生技术。结果表明,制得的复合活性炭具有与普通商业活性炭相当的吸附性能,且其热导率提高6倍。同时,其甲苯脱附活化能为18.08 kJ·mol^-1,低于其在商业活性炭上的微波脱附活化能（24.84 kJ·mol^-1）25%以上;相同微波功率下,其脱附床层温度低于实验室制备的普通活性炭10～30℃。所制备的高热导率复合活性炭不仅具有良好的吸附性能,而且具有很好的微波适应性。     

Adsorption Equilibria for Ethane and Propane Gas Mixtures on Activated Carbon

Abstract

We measured the transmission curves of binary gas mixtures of esthane and propane (and also of each gas alone) flowing through an adsorber bed at 25°C packed with (Columbia 4LXC 12/28) activated carbon. The adsorption isotherms for pure ethane and propane are described well by a modified Langmuir isotherm known as the Chakravarti-Dhar isotherm. Ethane in the binary mixtures exhibits smaller adsorption capacities than that of pure ethane; however, the presence of ethane does not significantly reduce the adsorption capacity of propane in the mixtures. The ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) of Myers and Prausnitz and the semiempirical method of Cook and Basmadjian (C-B) are applied to predict adsorption equilibrium properties of the binary mixtures from the known pure gas isotherms. The pure ethane isotherm data at pressures higher than 10 mmHg are obtained from a correlation formula. Good agreement between the predicted results from the IAST and C-B methods and the experimental results indicates (1) that the correlation formula can be used for estimating isotherms of related hydrocarbons with reliance and (2) that the two methods are useful in predicting the adsorption equilibrium properties for the ethane-propane mixtures on carbon.     

A NONDESTRUCTIVE METHOD TO MEASURE RESIDUAL ADSORPTION CAPACITY OF CHARCOAL FILTERS

High surface area charcoal bed filters have been used for over a half a century to adsorb undesirable vapors from gas streams. One problem encountered when using these niter beds is that there is presently no simple, reliable, nondestructive method to measure their Residual Adsorption Capacity, RAC. This is particularly critical in situations where harmful vapors are being adsorbed.

An investigation has been underway to use pulses of weakly adsorbed gases such as ethane and/or methane to measure RAC. The hypothesis being that these weakly adsorbed gases will “count” unoccupied adsorption sites. In the present study, dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) was used to “irreversibly” occupy available siles to various extents on different niters. The Reduced Retention Time. θ, (the ratio of the adjusted retention time to the space time) and the Resolution (R) between peaks of methane and ethane were found to correlate to RAC under dry and wet (humid) conditions.     

Synthesis and characterization of activated carbon and bioactive adsorbent produced from paper mill sludge

Adsorption capacity and bioactivity of a novel mesoporous activated carbon (IIT Carbon) and bioactive (BAC_IIT) catalyst produced from papermill sludge were evaluated. Conversion of paper mill sludge to useful activated carbons and biocatalysts is a significant process since it reduces environmental problems associated with disposal of waste sludge, enhances wastewater treatment using carbons produced from industrial waste itself, and promotes conservation of the naturally available primary resources currently used to make activated carbons. Analysis was conducted using synthetic wastewater containing phenol and a commercially available activated carbon, sorbonorite 4 (used as reference carbon). Phenol removal was accomplished in batch and fluidized bed reactors containing mesoporous activated carbon, sorbonorite 4, and the produced bioactive catalysts. Isotherm adsorption data indicated that mesoporous activated carbon has a higher adsorption capacity and molecular surface coverage than sorbonorite 4 for phenol concentrations less than 10 mg/l. The mass transfer limitation was accounted for the lower adsorption capacity of the microporous carbon (sorbonorite 4) in dilute solutions. The fluidized bed reactor study, however, indicated similar but slightly lower phenol removal capability for the produced mesoporous carbon. While phenol removal efficiency of the carbons studied was in the range 65–70%, the produced bioactive catalysts were able to remove up to 97% of phenol during first few hours of operation. These results suggest that mesoporous carbon will feasibly be a good substitute for other commercially available activated carbons produced from natural resources, not only in physical adsorption processes, but also in fluidized bed bioreactors (FBB), used in biodegradation processes.     

Activated carbon from cherry stones

Fruit stones constitute a significant waste disposal problem for the fruit-processing industry. High-quality activated carbon can be produced from waste cherry stones: the activated carbon is low in impurities and has an adsorption capacity that compares favorably with commercial activated carbons. Activation at 800°C in steam for 2–3 hours, following initial carbonization, produces an activated carbon in about 10% yield (by weight) of the initial cherry stone. The activated carbons produced have surface areas (CO₂ adsorption) as high as 1200 m²/g and CCl₄ numbers of 70–80. Activation in carbon dioxide requires higher temperatures (900°C) and gives a carbon of slightly lower activity. Carbon from the hull, or hard outer portion of the fruit stone, provides essentially all of the adsorption capacity; the inner kernel does not form a microporous material. The hull structure is dominated by 0.4-micron pores which facilitate access to internal microporosity. This structure requires that the carbon be ground to less than 75 micron particles to achieve reasonable adsorption rates.     

Ethane‐selective carbon composites CPDA@A‐ACs with high uptake and its enhanced ethane/ethylene adsorption selectivity

Novel composites (CPDA@A‐ACs) of carbonized polydopamine (CPDA) and asphalt‐based activated carbons (A‐ACs) were successfully synthesized, and characterized for adsorption separation of ethane/ethylene. The resulting CPDA@A‐ACs exhibited high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 1971 m²/g. The O and N contents on CPDA@A‐ACs are higher than those on A‐ACs due to the introduction of CPDA. Interestingly, CPDA@A‐ACs exhibited great preferential adsorption of ethane over ethylene. Its ethane capacity reached as high as 7.12 mmol/g at 100 kPa and 25°C, and its ethane/ethylene adsorption selectivity became higher compared to A‐ACs, reaching as high as 3.0～20.6 below 100 kPa, significantly superior to the reported ethane‐selective adsorbents. Simulation results revealed the mechanism of enhanced selectivity toward C₂H₆/C₂H₄, and suggested that the surface oxygen functionalities of the composites play predominant role in enhancing ethane/ethylene adsorption selectivity. Fixed‐bed experiments showed that C₂H₆/C₂H₄ mixtures can be well separated at room temperature, suggesting great potential for industrial C₂H₆/C₂H₄ separation. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 3390–3399, 2018     

Adsorption of phenol by oil–palm-shell activated carbons in a fixed bed

Steam-activated carbons from oil–palm shells were prepared and used in the adsorption of phenol. The activated carbon had a well-developed non-micropore structure which accounted for 55% of the total pore volume. The largest Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of the activated carbon was 1183 m²/g with a total pore volume of 0.69 cm³/g using N₂ adsorption at 77 K. Experimental tests on the adsorption of phenol by the activated carbons were carried out in a fixed bed. The aqueous phase adsorption isotherms could be described by the Langmuir equation. The effects of the operation conditions of the fixed bed on the breakthrough curve were investigated. A linear driving force model based on particle phase concentration difference (LDFQ model) was used to simulate the fixed bed adsorption system. The model simulations agreed with the experimental data reasonably well.     

Removal of strontium from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto activated carbon: kinetic and thermodynamic studies

This work reports the adsorption of strontium from aqueous solutions onto activated carbon. Various factors such as pH, initial concentration of strontium, particle size and temperature were considered. The optimum conditions obtained were: pH value = 4.0, contact time = 8 h, initial concentration of Sr(II) = 100 mg/l, particle size = 270 μm and temperature of 293.15 K. The adsorption of strontium(II) on activated carbon follows pseudo-first order kinetics and the energy of activation E_a calculated using the Arrehenius equation was found to be 3.042 kJ/mol.The adsorption isotherms could be fitted by the Langmuir model with the maximum adsorption capacity Q_o being 5.07×10^–4 mol/g at 293.15 K. A dimensionless separation factor R_L was used to judge the favourable adsorption. The values of the mass transfer coefficient β_L (cm/s) at different temperatures indicated that the velocity of mass transfer of Sr(II) ions onto activated carbon was slow. The intraparticle diffusion mechanism is of great importance in determining the overall rate of removal and the negative entropy of activation ΔS^# value 145.13 J/mol K, reflects that no significant change occurs in the internal structure of activated carbon during adsorption of strontium(II). The Gibbs free energy ΔG°_ads values range from –36.61 kJ/mol to –41.75 kJ/mol at 293.15–333.15 K, which show the physical adsorption properties of activated carbon and indicate the feasibility of the process.