Thermodynamics of mixed‐gas adsorption

Abstract A simple technique is described for calculating the adsorption equilibria for components in a gaseous mixture, using only data for the pure‐component adsorption equilibria at the same temperature and on the same adsorbent. The proposed technique is based on the concept of an ideal adsorbed solution and, using classical surface thermodynamics, an expression analogous to Raoult's law is obtained. The essential idea of the calculation lies in the recognition that in an ideal solution the partial pressure of an adsorbed component is given by the product of its mole fraction in the adsorbed phase and the pressure which it would exert as a pure adsorbed component at the same temperature and spreading pressure as those of the mixture. Predicted isotherms give excellent agreement with experimental data for methane‐ethane and ethylene‐carbon dioxide on activated carbon and for carbon monoxide‐oxygen and propane‐propylene on silica gel. The simplicity of the calculation, which requires no data for the mixture, makes it especially useful for engineering applications.