Adsorption rate of ethanol on activated carbon fiber

Abstract

We have measured experimentally the adsorption kinetics of ethanol on pitch-based activated carbon fibers (ACFs) of type (A-20) at different adsorption temperatures ranging from 27 to 60 °C, which are suitable for adsorption chiller design. These data are unavailable in the literature. The mass uptake of ethanol adsorbed on ACF is measured by a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) under a controlled pressure and temperature environment. The uptake mass and temperature measurements are logged with a time interval of 0.5 s making a continuous change of ethanol mass uptake with time. System pressure is kept constant during the adsorption experiments and the adsorption rate of the ACF (A-20)/ethanol pair is estimated within the concentration range of 0.1 and 0.5 kg of adsorbate/kg of ACF. A comparison between the experimentally measured data and the predicted results of adsorption rate shows a good agreement, demonstrating the adsorption rate is mainly controlled by surface diffusion. © 2006 American Chemical Society.