4th semester

B.Sc Chemical Engineering ICET

University of the Punjab Lahore

The adsorption of gases by solid adsorbents

has certain characteristic feature

Increase in the surface area of the

adsorbent, increases the total amount
of the gas adsorbed.

In general, more easily liquefiable a

gas is the more readily will it be
adsorbed.

Heat of adsorption is defined as the

energy liberated when 1 gm mole of a
gas is adsorbed on the solid surface.

The gas adsorbed onto a solid can be

removed under certain condition of
temperature and pressure.
Chemisorption, on the contrary, is not
reversible because a surface compound is
formed.

Physical adsorption occurs rapidly at

low temperature and decreases with
increasing temperature

increase of pressure leads to increase

of adsorption and decrease of pressure
causes desorption.

At low pressure, the physically adsorbed gas

forms only one molecular thick layer.
However, above a certain pressure, multi
molecular thick layer is formed.