Effect of modifying alumina desiccants with sulfuric acid on their physicochemical properties

In the production of alumina desiccants by extrusion, the introduction of sulfuric acid at the stage of preparing a mouldable paste based on hydroxides containing bayerite or pseudoboehmite increases the sorption capacity of the product. This effect is most pronounced for the pseudoboehmite-based materials. The dynamic capacity of these desiccants increases to the level characteristic of the bayerite-containing hydroxide (>5 g H₂O/100 cm³) for a dew point of ?40°C and a contact time of 1.5 s), and their static capacity exceeds this value (increasing from 21.13 to 23.1 g H₂O/100 cm³). This procedure changes the phase composition and textural characteristics of the pseudoboehmite-based desiccants and increases Brønsted acidity and generates strong Lewis acid sites on the surface of all oxides. The dynamic capacity of desiccants with similar textural characteristics depends on the acid-base properties of their surface.