Equilibrium and kinetics of adsorption of Freon‐12 at infinite dilution

Abstract

Abstract Equilibrium and kinetic data for adsorption of trace CF 2 Cl 2 (Freon‐12) from various carrier gases on BPL activated carbon are reported. Coadsorption of the bulk carrier gas can severely reduce the equilibrium adsorption capacity and adsorptive mass‐transfer coefficient of strongly adsorbed CF 2 Cl 2 . The difference in size between CF 2 Cl 2 and the bulk carrier gas molecules plays a major role in establishing the binary or multicomponent equilibrium adsorption properties. The multisite (single and multicomponent) Langmuir model, which accounts for differences in adsorbate sizes, provides a reasonable framework for describing the size effects. The adsorptive mass transfer of CF 2 Cl 2 under the experimental conditions investigated is dominated by surface diffusion into the pores of the activated carbon. The surface diffusivity is a strong function of the extent of coverage and strength of adsorption of the bulk components.