ADSORPTION

Adsorption is a process that occurs when a gas or liquid solute accumulates on the surface of a solid or a
liquid (adsorbent), forming a molecular or atomic film (the adsorbate). It is different from absorption, in
which a substance diffuses into a liquid or solid to form a solution. The term sorption encompasses both
processes, while desorption is the reverse process.
Adsorption is operative in most natural physical, biological, and chemical systems, and is widely used in
industrial applications such as activated charcoal, synthetic resins and water purification.
Adsorption is usually described through isotherms, that is, functions which connect the amount of
adsorbate on the adsorbent, with its pressure (if gas) or concentration (if liquid). One can find in
literature several models describing process of adsorption, namely Freundlich isotherm, Langmuir
isotherm, BET isotherm, etc.

ADSORPTION MEDIA
ADSORBENTS
A wide variety of adsorbents are available to carry out specific
separations.

Adsorbents are made from natural or synthetic materials and have an amorphous or microcrystalline
structure. They are granular and generally extremely porous, with large internal surface areas. Examples
of adsorbents include clays, chars,
alumina, and silicates.
Both the chemical and physical
properties of the adsorbent must
be considered. Chemical properties
that influence adsorbent design
include degree of ionization of the
surface, functional groups present
on the surface, and degree to which
HADsiev 3A-ETH Ethanol Dehydration Molsieve
Adsorbent
Sorbead - KC-Trockenperlen
Activated Alumina Molecular Sieves
Carbon Molecular Sieves
these chemical properties vary with process parameters and by contact with the solution. Physical
properties that influence design include surface area, surface structure, size, and pore distribution.
FIXED BED ADSORBERS

The cyclic-batch operating mode using fixed
bed is widely used with both gas and liquid
feeds. Separation in a fixed bed is, in
virtually all practical cases, an unsteady state
rate-controlled process. This means that
conditions at any particular point within the
fixed bed vary with time.



Adsorption only occurs in a particular region of the bed,
known as the mass transfer zone (MTZ), which moves
through the bed. Applications of fixed bed adsorption, also
called percolation, include the removal of dissolved
organic compounds from water.





PRESSURE SWING ADSORPTION
Regeneration in a PSA process
is achieved by reducing the
partial pressure of the
adsorbate. There are 2 ways in
which this can be achieved: (1)
a reduction in the system total
pressure, and (2) introduction
of an inert gas while
maintaining the total system
pressure. In the majority of
pressure swing separations a
combination of the 2 methods
is employed. Use of a purge
fluid alone is unusual.



Changes in pressure can be effected very much more
quickly than changes in temperature, thus cycle time of
pressure swing adsorption (PSA) processes are typically
in the order of minutes or even seconds.PSA processes
are often operated at low adsorbent loadings because
selectivity between gaseous components is often
greatest in the Henry's Law region. It is desirable to
operate PSA processes close to ambient temperature to
take advantage of the fact that for a given partial
pressure the loading is increased as the temperature is
decreased.
Typical PSA processes consist of 2-Bed system, although
other systems (e.g. 1-Bed system or complex, multiple-
beds system) had also been developed.







Pressure Swing Adsorption Plant. Customer : GNFC
Plant Location : Bharuch Plant : Hydrogen PSA Plant

TEMPERATURE SWING ADSORPTION
Regeneration of adsorbent in a TSA
process is achieved by an increase in
temperature. The Figure below showed
schematically the effect of temperature
on the adsorption equilibrium (Type I
isotherm) of a single adsorb ate.
For any given partial pressure of the
adsorbate in the gas phase (or
concentration in the liquid phase), an
increase in temperature leads to a
decrease in the quantity adsorbed. If
the partial pressure remains constant at
p1, increasing the temperature from T
1

to T
2
will decrease the equilibrium
loading from q
1
to q
2
.
A relatively modest increase in
temperature can effect a relatively large
decrease in loading. It is therefore
generally possible to desorb any
components provided that the temperature is high enough. However, it is important to ensure that the
regeneration temperature does not cause degradation of the adsorbents.
A change in temperature alone is not used in commercial processes because there is no mechanism for
removing the adsorbate from the adsorption unit once desorption from the adsorbents has occurred.
Passage of a hot purge gas or steam, through the bed to sweep out the desorbed components is almost
always used in conjunction with the increase in temperature.









SLURRY CONTACT ADSORBERS

Slurry contact adsorbers use a
powdered adsorbent slurry to
adsorb desired materials.
Shown in the right are slurry
contact adsorbers used in the
production of hydrochloric
acid
In slurry contact adsorption,
the adsorbent powder is
mixed with the solution that
is to be treated. Agitation
evenly distributes the
adsorbent throughout the
solution. The adsorbent is
then removed from the
purified solution by filtration.
Slurry contact adsorption can be carried out in a number of modes, such as single stage batch, multiple
stage batch, multiple stage countercurrent, and continuous.