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.