Statistical thermodynamics models for polyatomic adsorbates: application to adsorption of n-paraffins in 5A zeolite

Experimental adsorption isotherms of five n-paraffins (ethane, propane, butane, pentane, and hexane) in 5A zeolite were described by means of a statistical thermodynamics model for linear adsorbates (MLA) developed by Ramirez-Pastor et al. (1999) and compared with the well-known multisite Langmuir model (MSL) of Nitta et al. (1984). The experimental data, obtained by different authors in a wide range of temperatures and pressures, were correlated by using an algorithm of multiple fitting. Two main conclusions were drawn from the analysis of experimental data: (i) for small molecules (ethane, propane), MLA is the more accurate model, validating the hypothesis of the linear rigid character of the adsorbate and reinforcing previous results obtained from the analysis of computational experiments developed for dimers and linear trimers; (ii) for large molecules (n-butane, n-pentane, n-hexane), the better performance of the MSL model suggests that the admolecules adsorb in a nonlinear structure. The isosteric heat of adsorption dependence on the number of carbons obtained from our study, ranging between 23.84 kJ/mol for ethane and 59.26 kJ/mol for hexane, showed a very good agreement with previous results reported in the literature, confirming the consistency of our analysis.