A high-throughput methodology for liquid phase adsorption experimentation

This article describes a novel application of high-throughput experimentation, namely in the field of liquid mixture separation through adsorption. Two separate setups are designed and extensively used to study multicomponent liquid phase adsorption: the first setup performs batch adsorption in static conditions to obtain adsorption isotherms while the latter carries out breakthrough experiments in dynamic conditions, which yield multicomponent breakthrough curves. The obtained data serves as an indicator of the separative qualities of an adsorbent exposed to a particular liquid mixture. The reliability of the obtained measurements is assessed using different validation techniques. Case studies pertaining to the competitive adsorption of binary alkane/alkene/aromatic mixtures on faujasites complete the validation process. A new model for batch adsorption isotherms is proposed based on the equilibrium conditions in liquid phase.