Adsorption and electrothermal desorption of organic vapors using activated carbon adsorbents with novel morphologies

Novel morphologies of activated carbons such as monolith, beads and fiber cloth can effectively capture organic vapors from industrial sources. These adsorbent materials are also unique because they can undergo direct electrothermal regeneration to recover the adsorbed organic vapors for potential re-use. This investigation compares and contrasts the properties of these adsorbents when using electrothermal-swing adsorption. The adsorption systems consisted of an organic vapor generation system, an electrothermal-swing adsorption vessel, a gas detection unit, and a data acquisition and control system. The activated carbon monolith (ACM) had the lowest pressure drop, highest permeability, highest electrical resistivity and lowest cost as compared to the activated carbon beads (ACB) and the activated carbon fiber cloth (ACFC). ACB had the largest throughput ratio and lowest length of unused bed as compared to the other adsorbents. However, ACFC had the largest adsorption capacity for toluene when compared to ACM and ACB. ACFC was also faster to regenerate and had a larger concentration factor than ACM and ACB. These results describe relevant physical, electrical, adsorption and cost properties for specific morphologies of the adsorbents to more effectively capture and recover organic vapors from gas streams.     

Adsorption characteristics of bamboo activated carbon

Dye is difficult to remove from aqueous solution with common adsorbents due to its large molecular size. Mesoporous bamboo activated carbon is utilized in the adsorption of Black 5, Red E and phenol. The adsorption performance of the carbon is experimentally examined along with the characterization of the adsorbent. The comparison of adsorption capacity of the bamboo activated carbon with that of coconut activated carbon and carbon cryogel indicates that the large volume of mesopore in the carbon helps the expansion of adsorption capacity. Microscopic observation, the measurement of pore characteristics and fitting to the adsorption isotherms are conducted in the characterization of the bamboo activated carbon.     

Adsorption and mass transfer characteristics of metsulfuron-methyl on activated carbon

Removal of a synthetic organic herbicide, metsulfuron-methyl (MSM), from aqueous solutions has been studied in batch and stirred tank adsorbers charged with granular activated carbon particles. Two kinetic parameters, film mass transfer and intraparticle diffusion coefficients, were estimated from concentration decay curves obtained in the batch adsorber. Based on these kinetic parameters, the concentration profiles measured in the stirred tank adsorber were simulated. From experimental and simulated results, it was proven that the film mass transfer at external surfaces of carbon particles controls the overall mass transfer, particularly at low mixing (rotation of blades), during the adsorption of MSM by granular activated carbon particles.     

活性炭纤维在吸附领域的应用

活性炭纤维是一种新型高效吸附材料。本文阐述了活性炭纤维的结构与吸附性能间的关系，并介绍了它在吸附领域的应用。     

Modeling of thermal desorption of Hg from activated carbon

Activated carbon adsorbs mercury from combustion flue gas, and this is exploited for the control of mercury emissions from coal-fired boilers and incinerators. The reaction pathway for the adsorption of mercury on activated carbon appears to be complex. The form of mercury that is adsorbed on activated carbon is likewise unknown. Experiments were carried out on vaporization of mercury compounds on non-treated, non-halogenated activated carbon in order to identify characteristics of the mercury compound adsorbed on the carbon and to assess the thermal stability of mercury once adsorbed. In these experiments, a solid material was heated in a boat in flowing air in the Ohio Lumex pyrolysis furnace. As the temperature of the boat was ramped up, the amount of mercury transferred to the gas was measured. A transient heat-transfer model was developed and coupled with a mercury vaporization model to predict, respectively, the heat-up and evolution of mercury from samples in the pyrolysis furnace. The model was able to reproduce the trends in the experimental observations, particularly the location of the peaks. The activation energy of mercury desorption in the model was used to distinguish between two different mercury species. The model also illustrated the effect of the thermal profile on mercury evolution in the pyrolysis furnace.     

Adsorption and desorption kinetics for hydrophilic and hydrophobic vapors on activated carbon

Adsorption dynamics are of fundamental importance in applications of adsorbents in real situations. The adsorption/desorption characteristics of a series of adsorbates, with varying hydrophilic/hydrophobic and structural characteristics, for activated carbon BAX950, were investigated for temperatures in the range 288-323 K. These data provide a comprehensive kinetic study of adsorption/desorption for an activated carbon. The results are discussed in relation to the adsorbent pore structure and functional group concentration, adsorptive structure and adsorption mechanism. The study provides evidence for a compensation effect where activation energy and ln(pre-exponential factor) parameters obtained from the Arrhenius equation exhibit a linear correlation.     

Adsorption equilibria of chloropentafluoroethane on activated carbon powder

An equilibrium study was conducted on the adsorption of chloropentafluoroethane (CFC-115, CF₃CF₂Cl) on activated carbon powder between 298.15 K and 373.15 K. Experimental data were fitted with several isotherm equations. Among the twoparameter equations, the BET equation showed the best results over the entire relative pressure range studied. When the pressure range was divided into two regions, a better result was obtained by applying the Langmuir equation in the lower pressure range and the BET equation in the higher relative pressure region. Among the threeparameter equations, the Langmuir-Freundlich equation gave better results than the RedrichPeterson equation. The isosteric heat of adsorption of CFC-115 on the activated carbon powder was estimated. It was found to have the same order of magnitude with the heat of condensation, which indicates that the adsorption was primarily due to physical forces.     

Effect of pH on adsorption of 2,4-dinitrophenol onto an activated carbon

The adsorption characteristics of 2,4-dinitrophenol from water onto a granular activated carbon, F-400, were studied at pH 4.3, 7 and 10. Adsorption equilibria of 2,4-dinitrophenol on GAC could be represented by Sips equation. Equilibrium capacity increased with decreasing pH. The differences in the rates of adsorption are primarily attributable to the differences in the equilibrium at the various pHs. Intraparticle diffusion was explained by surface diffusion mechanism. An adsorption model based on the linear driving force approximation (LDFA) was used for simulating the adsorption behavior of 2,4-dinitrophenol in a fixed bed adsorber. Presented at the Int’l Symp. on Chem. Eng. (Cheju, Feb. 8-10, 2001), dedicated to Prof. H. S. Chun on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

Comparative study of methylene blue dye adsorption onto activated carbon,graphene oxide,and carbon nanotubes

Three different carbonaceous materials, activated carbon, graphene oxide, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, were modified by nitric acid and used as adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue dye from aqueous solution. The adsorbents were characterized by N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms, infrared spectroscopy, particle size, and zeta potential measurements. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to study the effect of solution pH and contact time on dye adsorption properties. The kinetic studies showed that the adsorption data followed a pseudo second-order kinetic model. The isotherm analysis indicated that the adsorption data can be represented by Langmuir isotherm model. The remarkably strong adsorption capacity normalized by the BET surface area of graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes can be attributed to π–π electron donor acceptor interaction and electrostatic attraction.     

Adsorption removal of thiophene and dibenzothiophene from oils with activated carbon as adsorbent: effect of surface chemistry

Commercial coconut-based activated carbons (AC), before and after being treated using 65 wt% HNO₃ at different temperatures (termed as AC–Hs), were used as adsorbents to remove thiophene (T) or dibenzothiophene (DBT) from model oils. The fresh AC sample and all of the AC–Hs samples were characterized by Boehm titration, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analysis, which yield the information of the surface chemistry properties of the carbon materials. The results show that in comparison to the fresh AC sample, the quantity of oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of AC–Hs samples increases as the pretreatment temperature of the fresh AC sample increases. The adsorption capabilities of the AC samples for removal of T and DBT from model oils were evaluated in a batch-type reactor. It has been found that the refractory DBT can be removed easily over the untreated commercial AC with the removal efficiency even being higher than that of T. In the case of acid modified AC–Hs samples, the efficiency for removal of T has been greatly improved, but this is not the case for the removal of DBT. The possible mechanism for adsorption removal of T and DBT over activated carbons is discussed in terms of the quantity of surface oxygen-containing functional groups of adsorbents and the chemical structure of sulfur compounds. The effect of olefin (1-octene) and aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene) in the model oils on the selective adsorption DBT over AC is also evaluated, revealing that in the case of DBT, the competitive adsorption is involved in the process, and the removal efficiency levels off at a level over 80%.     

Adsorption of zinc, cadmium and mercury ions from aqueous solutions on an activated carbon cloth

The adsorption of zinc, cadmium and mercury ions from aqueous solutions on an activated carbon cloth was studied as a function of their concentrations and solution pH. For that purpose, pertinent adsorption isotherm data was collected at different pH values. The amount of adsorbed zinc and cadmium ions increases while the amount of adsorbed mercury remains constant with an increase in the equilibrium pH of the solution. The adsorption mechanisms of metal ions on activated carbon cloth are discussed. Under the conditions investigated, these primarily involve adsorption of monovalent cations (Zn and Cd) or precipitation of metal hydroxides (Cd and Hg) on the activated carbon cloth tested.     

Adsorption of toluene onto activated carbons exposed to 100 ppb ozone

The effects of 100 ppb ozone exposure on the adsorption of 1 ppm toluene on activated carbon are presented for dry (less than 5% RH) and humid (55% RH) air. In dry air, the 10% toluene breakthrough times of granular carbon beds exposed to ozone for 208 days are 17% less than those of unexposed carbon beds. At 55% RH, the corresponding reduction in toluene breakthrough time is 78%. For a humid environment with 100 ppb ozone, filter life would be reduced by more than half compared to the expected life based on tests in the absence of ozone. This degradation is attributed to changes in carbon surface chemistry, surface area, and pore volume that occur with relatively brief exposure to the ozone.     

Adsorption of phenol onto activated carbons having different textural and surface properties

Adsorption of phenol in aqueous phase onto activated carbons (ACs) having different textural and surface properties has been considered. Six types of ACs were used: three were commercial, and three were obtained from Kraft lignin chemically activated with sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or ortho-phosphoric acid. The apparent surface areas of the commercial ACs varied from 620 to 1320 m²/g, while ACs made from lignin presented surface areas as high as 1300 m²/g and 2900 m²/g when prepared with H₃PO₄ and alkaline hydroxides, respectively; moreover, the highest proportion of microporosity was found for ACs derived from lignin. A kinetic study was carried out, showing that the phenol adsorption data may be correctly adjusted, for all the ACs tested, by an equation corresponding to a pseudo second-order chemical reaction. Freundlich, Langmuir and Tempkin equations were tested for modelling the adsorption isotherms at equilibrium, and it was concluded that Langmuir model fitted adequately the experimental data. However, Tempkin model fitted even better the adsorption data obtained with ACs derived from lignin activated with alkaline hydroxides, which are characterized by the highest number of surface groups. Remarkably high phenol adsorption capacities were found for the ACs prepared by activation of Kraft lignin with NaOH and KOH: 238 and 213 mg/g of AC, respectively. Finally, the adsorption of phenol was found to depend not only on the micropore volume, but also on the total amount of carbonyl and basic groups and on the ratio of acid to basic groups.     

Removal of fluoride from drinking water by adsorption onto alum-impregnated activated alumina

The ability of the alum-impregnated activated alumina (AIAA) for removal of fluoride from water through adsorption has been investigated in the present study. All the experiments are carried out by batch mode. The effect of various parameters viz. contact time, pH effect (pH 2–8), adsorbent dose (0.5–16 g/l), initial fluoride concentration (1–35 mg/l) has been investigated to determine the adsorption capacity of AIAA. The adsorbent dose and isotherm data are correlated to the Bradley equation. The efficacy of AIAA to remove fluoride from water is found to be 99% at pH 6.5, contact time for 3 h, dose of 8 g/l, when 20 mg/l of fluoride is present in 50 ml of water. Energy-dispersive analysis of X-ray shows that the uptake of fluoride at the AIAA/water interface is due to only surface precipitation. The desorption study reveals that this adsorbent can be regenerated following a simple base–acid rinsing procedure, however, again impregnation of the regenerated adsorbent (rinsed residue) is needed for further defluoridation process.     

Influence of solvent type on dibenzothiophene adsorption onto activated carbon fiber and granular coconut-shell activated carbon

The adsorption behavior of dibenzothiophene (DBT) on an activated carbon fiber (ACF) and a granular coconut-shell activated carbon (GCSAC) in the solvents n-hexane, n-decane, toluene, and mixture of n-decane and toluene was investigated. The DBT adsorption onto both samples was more active in n-hexane than in n-decane. The lowest DBT adsorption was observed in toluene. Regardless of the type of activated carbons and solvents, all the isotherms fit the Freundlich equation better than the Langmuir equation. At low equilibrium concentrations of <2 mass ppm-S, GCSAC displayed greater capacity for DBT adsorption than did ACF in all the tested solvents. The adsorption kinetics of ACF and GCSAC in all the tested solvents were governed by a pseudo-second-order model.     

The performance of two adsorption ice making test units using activated carbon and a carbon composite as adsorbents

The available adsorption working pairs applied to adsorption refrigeration system, which utilize activated carbon as adsorbent, are mainly activated carbon-methanol, activated carbon-ammonia, and composite adsorbent-ammonia. The adsorption properties and refrigeration application of these three types of adsorption working pairs are investigated. For the physical adsorbents, consolidated activated carbon showed best heat transfer performance, and activated carbon-methanol showed the best adsorption property because of the large refrigerant amount that can be adsorbed. For the composite adsorbents, the consolidated composite adsorbent with mass ratio of 4:1 between CaCl₂ and activated carbon, showed the highest cooling density when compared to the granular composite adsorbent and to the merely chemical adsorbent. The physical adsorption icemaker that employs consolidated activated carbon-methanol as working pair had the optimum coefficient of refrigeration performance (COP), volume cooling power density (SCP_v) and specific cooling power per kilogram adsorbent (SCP) of 0.125, 9.25 kW/m³ and 32.6 W/kg, respectively. The composite adsorption system that employs the consolidated composite adsorbent had a maximum COP, SCP_v and SCP of 0.35, 52.68 kW/m³ and 493.2 W/kg, respectively, for ice making mode. These results are improved by 1.8, 4.7 and 14 times, respectively, when compared to the results of the physical adsorption icemaker.     

Adsorption of cationic-anionic surfactant mixtures on activated carbon

This paper reported the adsorption of cationic-anionic surfactant mixtures, such as octyltriethylammonium bromide/sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (OTEAB/SDBS) and dodecylpyridinium chloride/sodium octanesulfonate (DPC/SOS), on activated carbon (AC) in deionized water and in mineralized water systems. The AC surface chemistry was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ζ-potential determinations. It was observed that in deionized water solution, the addition of SOS obviously promoted the adsorption of DPC, while the existence of OTEAB increased the adsorption of SDBS first and then decreased that slightly with increasing SDBS concentration. In mineralized water solution, the addition of cationic (anionic) surfactants reduced the adsorption of anionic (cationic) surfactants. It was shown that the adsorption of the surfactants on the AC was predominated mainly by the hydrophobic interaction between AC surface and surfactants because of the low oxygen content and very low ζ-potential on the AC surface. There might exist synergism between cationic and anionic surfactants when adsorbing on AC in deionized water due to the electrostatic interaction between oppositely charged surface active ions. Such synergism might be greatly weakened when a large number of inorganic salts exist owing to the “screen” effect of the counter ions of the salt on the electrostatic attraction of oppositely charged surface active ions.     

Adsorption of chromium by activated carbon from aqueous solution

Adsorption isotherms of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) ions on two samples of activated carbon fibres and two samples of granulated activated carbons from aqueous solutions in the concentration range 20–1000 mg/l have been studied. The adsorption isotherms have been determined after modifying the activated carbon surfaces by oxidation with nitric acid, ammonium persulphate, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen gas at 350°C and after degassing at different temperatures. The adsorption of Cr(III) ions increases on oxidation and decreases on degassing. On the other hand, the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions decreases on oxidation and increases on degassing. The increase of Cr(III) and the decrease of Cr(VI) on oxidation and the decrease of Cr(III) and the increase of Cr(VI) on degassing have been attributed to the fact that the oxidation of the carbon surface enhances the amount of acidic carbon–oxygen surface groups while degassing eliminates these surface groups. Thus while the presence of acidic surface groups enhances the adsorption of Cr(III) cations, it suppresses the adsorption of Cr(VI) anions.     

Adsorption characteristics of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4-dinitrophenol in a fixed bed adsorber

The influence of temperature and initial pH of aqueous solution on adsorption has been discussed in detail using the Sips equation. Single-component adsorption equilibria of 2,4-D and 2,4-DNP dissolved in water have been measured for three kinds of GACs (F400, SLS103, and WWL). For 2,4-D, the magnitude of adsorption capacity was in the order of F400>SLS103>WWL, and that for 2,4-DNP was SLS103>F400>WWL. These results may come from the effects of the pore size distribution, surface area, surface properties, and difference in adsorption affinity. Kinetic parameters were measured in a batch adsorber to analyze the adsorption rates of 2,4-D and 2,4-DNP. The internal diffusion coefficients were determined by comparing the experimental concentration curves with those predicted from surface diffusion model (SDM) and pore diffusion model (PDM). The linear driving force approximation (LDFA) model was used to simulate isothermal adsorption behavior in a fixed bed adsorber and successfully simulated experimental adsorption breakthrough behavior under various operation conditions. Efficiency of desorption for 2,4-D and 2,4-DNP was about 80% using distilled water at pH of 6.     

Removal of metal ions from aqueous solution by adsorption onto activated carbon cloths: adsorption competition with organic matter

Activated carbon cloths are recent adsorbents whose adsorption properties are well known for monocomponent solutions of organics or metal ions. However, to treat wastewaters with these materials, their performance has to be determined in multicomponent solution. This work studies adsorption competition between metal ions (Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺) and organic matter (benzoic acid). The first part investigates adsorption equilibrium of monocomponent metal ions solutions and shows the dependence of adsorption capacities on adsorbent porosity and metal ions chemical properties (molecular weight, ionic radius and electronegativity). The influence of pH is also demonstrated. The second part focuses on adsorption competition: (1) between both metal ions (a decrease of adsorption capacities is observed, whose value is related to adsorption kinetics of metal ions); (2) between metal ions and organic matter, in solution or adsorbed onto the activated carbon cloth (a strong influence of pH is shown: when benzoic acid is under benzoate form, in both cases adsorption is increased due to the formation of ligands between adsorbed benzoate ions and metals).