Adsorption of Dichloromethane on Activated Carbon

Abstract

Adsorption is an economical option for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from effluent streams of various industries. Its feasibility depends on the equilibrium and kinetics of the adsorption process. A conventional apparatus for the measurement of adsorption equilibria and kinetics needs dedicated equipment which may not be readily available in all laboratories. To overcome this limitation, in this work adsorption equilibrium of a VOC, namely, dichloromethane, was measured on activated carbon by a flow-through gravimetric technique using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA, an instrument readily available in most laboratories). Moreover, in a flow-through measurement technique the concentration of the VOC in the gas phase can be accurately controlled. The measurements were performed at three different temperatures, namely, (303.15, 318.15, and 353.15) K. The results were comparable to already available data for the adsorption of dicholoromethane on activated carbon. A virial form of isotherm best describes the isotherm behavior. The limiting enthalpy of adsorption was around −41 kJ·mol −1 .