The role of adsorbent microstructure and its packing arrangement in optimising the performance of an adsorption column

Journal article

Abstract:: Physical adsorption takes place inside narrow pores where the attractive interaction between the surface of the adsorbent and the contaminant molecules is strong enough to retain the molecules. Adsorption columns involve a range of mass-transport mechanisms: advection through the free spaces between the adsorbent pellets, diffusion through the macro/mesopores of the adsorbent, and adsorption at the surface, where the micropores exist. The adsorbent specifications along with its assembly within the sorption column are key factors when optimizing the filtration of pollutants. In this work we present a mathematical model based on advection–diffusion equations coupled with Langmuir kinetics that accounts for a geometrical approach to the porosity structure inside the adsorbent, formed by a radial lattice of cylinders, and the channels through which the fluid flows surrounding the cylindrical pellets. The model is tested using typical lab-scale values based on VOC adsorption, and we use it to identify optimal macro/mesopore size and column porosity for energetic considerations.

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Language:: English
Keywords:: mathematical model

advection–diffusion

micropores

adsorption column

mesopores

process optimisation
Pubs id:: 2030225
Local pid:: pubs:2030225
Source identifiers:: 2261212
Deposit date:: 2024-09-14

Copyright holder:: Valverde and Griffiths.
Rights statement:: © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

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