Determination of the Porous Structure of Activated Carbons Using the IAE Concept. Influence of the Local Adsorption Model

In this paper we study a method for the determination of the micropore volume distribution function of activated carbons. This method is based on the Integral Adsorption Equation concept (IAE). The micropore volume distribution function is assumed to be a Gaussian of which the parameters are unknown. These parameters are determined using adsorption isotherms of carbon dioxide on a given activated carbon (F30/470 CHEMVIRON CARBON) at 278, 288, 298, 303, 308, 318 and 328 K and for pressures up to 100 kPa. Several local adsorption models are used (Langmuir, Volmer, Fowler-Guggenheim, Hill-de Boer). The influence of the choice of the local model on the pore volume distribution function is discussed. The physical validity of this function and the performances of the different models are presented. It appears that the effect of the temperature on the adsorption isotherms is difficult to model over a wide range of relative pressure. The Hill-de Boer and the Langmuir local models are the most efficient (average errors respectively equal to 3.53% and 2.80% in the studied range of temperature and pressure). They provide the most meaningful parameters for the pore volume distribution function.     

Sorption of methane,ethane, propane,butane, carbon dioxide,and nitrogen on kerogen

Sorption isotherms of nitrogen, methane (in the pressure range of 0.1–40 MPa), ethane (0.1–3.7MPa), propane (0.01–1 MPa), butane (0.01–0.2 MPa), and carbon dioxide (0.1–6 MPa) are measured on two adsorbents with kerogen contents of 16 and 75% at temperatures of 303, 323, 343 K. Adsorption volumes are calculated for all adsorption systems using two independent methods. The BET technique is used to determine the surface area values of the two adsorbents on the basis of sorption data for ethane, propane, butane, and carbon dioxide. The initial and isosteric adheat of sorption values are calculated on the basis of sorption isotherms of ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide measured at three temperatures. It is found from comparing the dependences of isosteric heat of sorption on the two adsorbents that molecules of the above gases diffuse into its bulk (adsorbent 2) in addition to sorbing on the outside surface formed by kerogen molecules, while sorption of the same gases on the rock (adsorbent 1) is similar to sorption on a smooth hard adsorbent surface.     

Adsorption of gases on a polymer adsorbent MN-200 in the region of supercritical temperatures and pressures

Adsorption of nitrogen, argon, and methane in a polymer adsorbent MN-200 was studied in the pressure range of 0.1–40 MPa at temperatures of 303, 323, 343, and 363 K. The excess adsorption isotherms were measured, the adsorption volumes were determined, the adsorption isotherms of total content and the characteristic adsorption energies were calculated. Isosteric, integral, and average heats of adsorption were determined.

     

Monte Carlo Simulation and Experimental Studies of CO2, CH4 and Their Mixture Capture in Porous Carbons

Adsorption of carbon dioxide and methane in porous activated carbon and carbon nanotube was studied experimentally and by Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation. A gravimetric analyzer was used to obtain the experimental data, while in the simulation we used graphitic slit pores of various pore size to model activated carbon and a bundle of graphitic cylinders arranged hexagonally to model carbon nanotube. Carbon dioxide was modeled as a 3-center-Lennard-Jones (LJ) molecule with three fixed partial charges, while methane was modeled as a single LJ molecule. We have shown that the behavior of adsorption for both activated carbon and carbon nanotube is sensitive to pore width and the crossing of isotherms is observed because of the molecular packing, which favors commensurate packing for some pore sizes. Using the adsorption data of pure methane or carbon dioxide on activated carbon, we derived its pore size distribution (PSD), which was found to be in good agreement with the PSD obtained from the analysis of nitrogen adsorption data at 77 K. This derived PSD was used to describe isotherms at other temperatures as well as isotherms of mixture of carbon dioxide and methane in activated carbon and carbon nanotube at 273 and 300 K. Good agreement between the computed and experimental isotherm data was observed, thus justifying the use of a simple adsorption model.     

Hydrogen adsorption on functionalized nanoporous activated carbons

There is considerable interest in hydrogen adsorption on carbon nanotubes and porous carbons as a method of storage for transport and related energy applications. This investigation has involved a systematic investigation of the role of functional groups and porous structure characteristics in determining the hydrogen adsorption characteristics of porous carbons. Suites of carbons were prepared with a wide range of nitrogen and oxygen contents and types of functional groups to investigate their effect on hydrogen adsorption. The porous structures of the carbons were characterized by nitrogen (77 K) and carbon dioxide (273 K) adsorption methods. Hydrogen adsorption isotherms were studied at 77 K and pressure up to 100 kPa. All the isotherms were Type I in the IUPAC classification scheme. Hydrogen isobars indicated that the adsorption of hydrogen is very temperature dependent with little or no hydrogen adsorption above 195 K. The isosteric enthalpies of adsorption at zero surface coverage were obtained using a virial equation, while the values at various surface coverages were obtained from the van't Hoff isochore. The values were in the range 3.9-5.2 kJ mol(-1) for the carbons studied. The thermodynamics of the adsorption process are discussed in relation to temperature limitations for hydrogen storage applications. The maximum amounts of hydrogen adsorbed correlated with the micropore volume obtained from extrapolation of the Dubinin-Radushkevich equation for carbon dioxide adsorption. Functional groups have a small detrimental effect on hydrogen adsorption, and this is related to decreased adsorbate-adsorbent and increased adsorbate-adsorbate interactions.     

Adsorption of Carbon Tetrachloride by 3.4 nm Pore Diameter Siliceous MCM-41: Isotherms and Neutron Diffraction

Adsorption isotherms of carbon tetrachloride at temperatures between 273 and 323 K have been determined on the pure silica form of MCM-41 of pore diameter ca. 3.4 nm. All isotherms were of Type V, the isotherms at 273, 288 and 303 K showing hysteresis loops, whereas the isotherm at 323 K was completely reversible. Despite the questionable validity of the Kelvin equation when applied to narrow mesopores, changes in the relative pressure positions of capillary condensation and evaporation as a function of the temperature appear to be well described. Neutron diffraction measurements at 200 and 273 K show significant changes in the physical properties of the adsorbed CCl4 in the MCM-41 from those of bulk adsorbate. The results also suggest a highly heterogeneous surface and appear to show some flexibility in the pore walls upon pore filling. The conditions required for first order reversible capillary condensation are discussed.     

Fine pore mouth structure of molecular sieve carbon with GCMC-assisted supercritical gas adsorption analysis

N₂ adsorption isotherms of molecular sieve carbon were measured at 77 K and 303 K. The Ar adsorption isotherms of molecular sieve carbon samples were also measured at 303 K. The grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation technique was applied to calculate the N₂ and Ar adsorption isotherms at 303 K using the ultramicropore volume determined by H₂O adsorption. The comparative method of experimental and simulated isotherms of supercritical N₂ and Ar at 303 K gave the width of the micropore mouth of the molecular sieve carbon, which can be applied to the ultramicropore width determination for other noncrystalline porous solids.     

Cluster-Mediated Water Adsorption on Carbon Nanopores

The adsorption isotherms of water at 303 K and N2 at 77 K on various kinds of porous carbons were compared with each other. The saturated amounts of water adsorbed on carbons almost coincided with amounts of N2 adsorption in micropores. Although carbon aerogel samples have mesopores of the great pore volume, the saturated amount of adsorbed water was close to the micropore volume which is much small than the mesopore volume. These adsorption data on carbon aerogels indicated that the water molecules are not adsorbed in mesopores, but in micropores only. The adsorption isotherms of water on activated carbon having micropores of smaller than 0.7 nm in width had no clear adsorption hysteresis, while the water adsorption isotherms on micropores of greater than 0.7 nm had a remarkable adsorption hysteresis above P/P0 = 0.5. The disappearance of the clear hysteresis for smaller micropores suggested that the cluster of water molecules of about 0.7 nm in size gives rise to the water adsorption on the hydrophobic micropores; the formation and the structure of clusters of water molecules were associated with the adsorption mechanism. The cluster-mediated pore filling mechanism was proposed with a special relevance to the evidence on the formation of the ordered water molecular assembly in the carbon micropores by in situ X-ray diffraction.     

Adsorption equilibrium of binary methane/ethane mixtures in BPL activated carbon: isotherms and calorimetric heats of adsorption

The adsorption of pure methane and ethane in BPL activated carbon has been measured at temperatures between 264 and 373 K and at pressures up to 3.3 MPa with a bench-scale high-pressure open-flow apparatus. The same apparatus was used to measure the adsorption of binary methane/ethane mixtures in BPL at 301.4 K and at pressures up to 2.6 MPa. Thermodynamic consistency tests demonstrate that the data are thermodynamically consistent. In contrast to two sets of data previously published, we found that the adsorption of binary methane/ethane in BPL behaves ideally (in the sense of obeying ideal adsorbed solution theory, IAST) throughout the pressure and gas-phase composition range studied. A Tian-Calvet type microcalorimeter was used to measure low-pressure isotherms, the isosteric heats of adsorption of pure methane and ethane in BPL activated carbon, and the individual heats of adsorption in binary mixtures, at 297 K and at pressures up to 100 kPa. The mixture heats of adsorption were consistent with IAST.     

Sorption Equilibria and Kinetics of Hydrocarbons onto Activated Carbon Samples Having Different Micropore Size Distributions

This paper deals with the prediction of adsorption equilibrium and kinetics of hydrocarbons onto activated carbon samples having different micropore size distribution (MPSD). The microporous structure of activated carbon is characterised by the distribution of slit-shaped micropores, which is assumed to be the sole source of surface heterogeneity. The interaction between adsorbate molecule and pore walls is described by the Lennard-Jones potential theory. Different adsorbates have access to different pore size range of activated carbon due to the size exclusion, a phenomenon could have a significant influence on both multicomponent equilibria and kinetics. Activated carbons with three different MPSDs are studied with ethane and propane as the two model adsorbates. The Heterogeneous Macropore Surface Diffusion model (HMSD) is employed to simulate adsorption kinetics. The simulation results show that the MPSD is an important factor affecting both the multicomponent equilibria and kinetics.     

Adsorption of Carbon Dioxide on Activated Carbon

The adsorption of CO2 on a raw activated carbon A and three modified activated carbon samples B, C, and D at temperatures ranging from 303 to 333 K and the thermodynamics of adsorption have been investigated using a vacuum adsorption apparatus in order to obtain more information about the effect of CO2 on removal of organic sulfur-containing compounds in industrial gases. The active ingredients impregnated in the carbon samples show significant influence on the adsorption for CO2 and its volumes adsorbed on modified carbon samples B, C, and D are all larger than that on the raw carbon sample A. On the other hand, the physical parameters such as surface area, pore volume, and micropore volume of carbon samples show no influence on the adsorbed amount of CO2. The Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) equation was the best model for fitting the adsorption data on carbon samples A and B, while the Preundlich equation was the best fit for the adsorption on carbon samples C and D. The isosteric heats of adsorption on carbon samples A, B, C, and D derived from the adsorption isotherms using the Clapeyron equation decreased slightly increasing surface loading. The heat of adsorption lay between 10.5 and 28.4 kJ/mol, with the carbon sample D having the highest value at all surface coverages that were studied. The observed entropy change associated with the adsorption for the carbon samples A, B, and C (above the surface coverage of 7 ml/g) was lower than the theoretical value for mobile adsorption. However, it was higher than the theoretical value for mobile adsorption but lower than the theoretical value for localized adsorption for carbon sample D.     

Adsorption of carbon dioxide on microporous carbon adsorbents

Adsorption isotherms of carbon dioxide on microporous carbon adsorbents prepared by activation with potassium sulfide in water vapor were measured. The measurements were carried out in the pressure interval from 1 Pa to 0.1 MPa at temperatures from 216.2 to 293.15 K. Based on the theory of volumetric filling of micropores, the main structural and energetic parameters of the microporous carbon adsorbents were calculated. The adsorption isosters of carbon dioxide were calculated from the adsorption isotherms in the same pressure and temperature ranges and approximated by linear dependences. The plots of the differential mole isosteric heats of adsorption vs amount adsorbed were constructed by using the adsorption isosters.     

Micropore filling of NO,SO2, NH3, and CO2 onα-FeOOH dispersed activated carbon fibers

Adsorption isotherms of NO, SO₂, NH₃, and CO₂ on-FeOOH dispersed activated carbon fibers at 303 K were examined to determine the role of surface modification in micropore filling. The parameters on micropore structures were obtained from both nitrogen adsorption at 77 K and benzene adsorption at 303 K; both isotherms were of BDDTI type and gave the same micropore volume. The preoxidation conditions of ACF, prior to the deposition of-FeOOH against the NO adsorptivity were examined. The dispersion of-FeOOH on ACF was effective in enhancement of micropore filling, irrespective of the adsorbate molecule. We determined the degree of volume filling for each gas by the use of a DR plot. The modified DR plot for an NO gas, of which the critical temperature was much lower than 303 K, was proposed. The degree of volume filling for various gases was correlated with the deviation of each boiling point from 303 K and with the van der Waalsa constant.     

ADSORPTION ISOTHERMS AND POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF NITROGEN ON VARIOUS ACTIVATED CARBONS

The adsorption isotherms of four activated carbons (Norit RB1, Chemviron BPL, Monolit, and Ambersorb-572) have been examined by nitrogen adsorption at 77.5 K. A method for adsorption potential distribution calculation has been proposed based on the adsorption isotherms. This distribution provides information about possible changes in the Gibbs free energy caused by the energetic and geometrical heterogeneities of an activated carbon as well as by the adsorbate-related entropic effects. The general character of the adsorption potential distribution is clearly visible by its simple relation to the micropore and mesopore distribution.     

ADSORPTION ISOTHERMS AND POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF NITROGEN ON VARIOUS ACTIVATED CARBONS

1. INTRODUCTION Activated carbon, a kind of microporous materials, is widely used as adsorbents and catalytic supports. The knowledge of their basic sorption and structural characteristics is an important factor that determines or limits their applications. Various modern techniques, such as electron microscopy, small angle X-ray scattering, NMR, and some classical measurements, such as calorimetric measurements, adsorption-desorption of vapors and liquids, have been applied. Classical a…     

Isosteric heats of adsorption of carbon dioxide on zeolite MCM-22 modified by alkali metal cations

Adsorption isotherms of carbon dioxide were measured on cation-exchanged (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺) MCM-22 zeolite with the molar ratio of Si/Al=15 and series of Na-MCM-22 of Si/Al molar ratios varying in the range from 15 to 40 at 273, 293, 313 and 333 K. Based on the known temperature dependence of CO₂ adsorption, isosteric heats of adsorption were calculated. The obtained dependences of isosteric heats related to the amount of CO₂ adsorbed have provided detailed insight into the interaction of carbon dioxide molecule with alkali metal cations.     

Characterization of the PSD of activated carbons from peach stones for separation of combustion gas mixtures

Controlled series of microporous carbons were prepared through chemical activation with phosphoric acid from peach stones as the precursor material, corresponding to different preparation conditions. Adsorption isotherms of N₂ at 77 K and of CO₂ at 273 K were measured to be used in the characterization of the samples. The recently proposed mixed-geometry model (MGM), which assumes that the activated carbon is better represented by a mixture of slit and triangular geometry pores, is used to obtain the PSDs of the samples, on the basis of Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulated ideal isotherms, both for N₂ at 77 K and of CO₂ at 273 K. Our results emerging from the analysis of two families of activated carbons reveal a consistent picture supporting the thesis that the PSDs of the same sample obtained trough N₂ and CO₂ adsorption are different, a still controversial issue in the literature. Comparison of predictions from the MGM with those of the pure slit geometry model (PSGM) shows that the former gives a more consistent picture and more similar PSDs for the two adsorbates used.     

Thermodynamics of CO2 adsorption on functionalized SBA-15 silica. NLDFT analysis of surface energetic heterogeneity

Siliceous SBA-15 mesoporous molecular sieves were functionalized with different amounts of 3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane. To obtain a more detailed insight into the material properties of the prepared samples, their textural parameters were combined with results of thermal analysis. Adsorption isotherms of carbon dioxide on parent and functionalized SBA-15 were measured in the temperature range from 273 to 333 K. From the temperature dependence of CO(2) isotherms the isosteric adsorption heats of CO(2) were determined and discussed. Information about the surface energetic heterogeneity caused by tethered 3-aminopropyl groups were obtained from CO(2) adsorption energy distributions calculated using the theoretical CO(2) adsorption isotherms derived from the non-local density functional theory. The values of isosteric heats and the energy distributions of CO(2) adsorption detect highly energetic sites and enabled quantification of their concentrations.     

Dubinin"s theory and its contribution to adsorption science

Dubinin"s theory for the volume filling of micropores (TVFM), originally developed for the adsorption of single vapours by microporous solids such as activated carbons and zeolites, has gradually been extended to other areas. They include immersion calorimetry, the adsorption of water vapour and of mixtures, as well as adsorption from aqueous solutions. Recent studies in the field of adsorption from aqueous solutions, by activated carbons, suggest that the principle of temperature invariance is fulfilled and in the case of phenolic compounds a modified DRK equation can be used to predict the adsorption equilibrium over a certain range of temperatures. Computer modelling of CO₂ adsorption by carbons at 273 K leads to micropore distributions, which are in good agreement with those derived from other techniques. It also appears that the model isotherms in single slit-shaped micropores can be fitted to the Hill-de Boer isotherm, in agreement with mathematical studies of the origin of the Dubinin—Astakhov equation.     

Determination of dependencies between the specific retention volumes and the parameters characterising adsorbent properties

Propane adsorption isotherms have been chromatographically determined on active carbon for different amounts of the injected adsorbate on column. The dependencies between the specific retention volume corrected to the standard temperature (273.15 K), Vg(273), and the molar differential work of adsorption, A, have been calculated on the basis of the propane isotherms and using the retention times of the peak maxima. The obtained equations: ln Vg(273) = f1(A) and (dW/dA)T.F(C) = f2(ln Vg(273)) have been used to explain the dependency between the chromatographic peak profile and the distribution function of pore volumes filled with propane with respect to the molar differential work of adsorption at different column temperatures (303-318 K).