COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Department of Mechanical and Industrial

Engineering

UNIT OPERATIONS-II(EME10318)
SPRING SEMESTER (2022-23)
CHAPTER 4: ADSORPTION PROCESS
 What’s Inside?

1 Types of adsorptions

2 Commonly used adsorbents

3;; Adsorption equilibria

4 Adsorption isotherms

5 Equipment for adsorption

6 Numerical Problem Solving

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 LEARNING OUTCOMES

(5) Analyze and solve problems related

to adsorption

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Adsorption VS Absorption
Adsorption:
⮚ the process by which a solid holds molecules of a gas or liquid or solute as a thin film.
Adsorption is a surface phenomenon
⮚ Creates a film of the adsorbate on the surface of the adsorbent.
⮚ Differs from absorption, in which a fluid (the asorbate) is dissolved by or permeates a liquid or
solid (absorbent), respectively
Desorption - the release of an adsorbed substance from a surface, reverse of adsorption

ADSORPTIVE – refers to the

property of the adsorbent

ADSORBATE - the substance (gas

or liquid) which gets adsorbed on
any surface

ADSORBENT – a substance
(solid) that adsorbs another
 Adsorption VS Absorption

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Adsorption & Desorption Process

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Monolayer & Multilayer Adsorption

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Adsorption Process Classified as:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004565351630683X

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Adsorbent Materials (Dehydrating Purposes)

● Silica gel ● Activated alumina ● Synthetic zeolite

• Molecular sieve

● Activated carbon

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Adsorption

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Industrial Applications
1. Gas Purifications:
⮚ Removal of Organics from Vent Streams
⮚ Removal of SO2 from Vent Streams
⮚ Removal of sulfur compounds from Gas Streams
⮚ Removal of water vapor from air and other gas
streams
⮚ Removal of solvents and odors from air
⮚ Removal of NOx from N2
⮚ Removal of CO2 from Natural Gas
2. Gas bulk separations
⮚ N2/O2
⮚ H2O/ethanol
⮚ Acetone/vent stream
⮚ C2H4 / vent streams

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Illustration of Adsorber

BATCH TYPE
CONTINUOUS TYPE
Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)
 Adsorption Isotherm
❖In general, an adsorption isotherm relates the
volume or mass adsorbed to the partial pressure (if
gas) or concentration of the adsorbate (for liquid
phase solute) in the main gas stream at a given
temperature
❖The equilibrium concentration adsorbed is very
sensitive to Temperature
❖There are many equations proposed to fit analyticaly
the various experimental isotherms

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Adsorption Isotherm
❖The amount of gas adsorbed per unit of adsorbent at
equilibrium is measured against the partial pressure of
the adsorbate in the gas phase gives equilibrium
adsorption isotherm

Equilibrium is the state when no NET

adsorption occurs

At equilibrium, the adsorbate is

saturated and the partial pressure
equals the vapor pressure

That pressure for a given

temperature at which the vapor
and the liquid can exist in stable
equilibrium

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Adsorption Isotherms
1. Brunauer,Emmett, and Teller (BET)
• frequently used in physisorption
2. Langmuir
at equilibium knowing that the rate of adsorption is
equal to the rate of desorption
3. Freundlich
At very low and very high adsorbate partial
presssure Langmuir isotherm equation takes the forms of
equation referred to as Freundlich

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Working Equations

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Example 6 (Adsorption)
Example3.1 p, 3.29 by K. A.Gavhane (with modification)
A volume of 1 m3 contains a mixture of air and acetone vapour.
The temperature is 303 K (30 0C) and the total pressure is
105 N/m2. If the relative saturation of the air by acetone vapour
is 40 %, find the quantity of activated carbon that must be
added to the space for reducing the relative saturation to 5 %
at 303 K (30 0C).The adsorption equilibrium data of acetone at
the same temperature are given in Table

Partial pressure of acetone x10-2 N/m2 0 5 10 30 50 90

kg acetone/kg carbon 0 0.14 0.19 0.27 0.31 0.35

DATA: Vapour pressure of acetone = 37.9 kN/m2

MW acetone = 58 kg/kmol
Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)
 Problem Analysis
acetone vapour
Vmix = 1 m3 PT = 100 kN/m2 T = 303 K
air

INITIAL FINAL
CONDITION (1) CONDITION (2)
RS1 = 40% RS2 = 5%
mc =0 (assumed mc =?
initially)
RS - relative saturation of the air by acetone vapour
Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)
 Steps in solving
1) Plot the adsorption Isotherm
2) Determine the Partial pressure of acetone during initial and final
conditions
3) Calculate the mass of acetone in the air during initial and final
condition
4) Estimate acetone in the carbon at equilibrium by using the plot of
adsorption data
5) Calculate the mass of activated carbon that must be added to the
space

NOTE: mass of activated carbon (mc), if RS2 = 5%, T2 = 303 K

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 (1) Adsorption Isotherm
Plot the Adsorption data
Pa x10-2 N/m2 0 5 10 30 50 90
( Xr VS Pacetone) Pa,N/m2 0 500 1000 3000 5000 9000
kg acetone/kg carbon 0 0.14 0.19 0.27 0.31 0.35

0.4

0.35

Xr (kg acetone/ kg carbon) 0.3

0.25

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000

Partial pressure of acetone (N/m2)

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 (2) Partial pressure of acetone

(1) Solve for initial partial pressure of
acetone @ condition 1:
(RS1 = 40%, P0 = 37.9 kN/m2 )
P1 = (RS1)(P0) / 100
= (0.40 × 37.9 kN/m2)
P1 = 15.16 kN/m2
= 15,160 N/m2
(2) Solve for the final partial pressure
of acetone @ condition 2:
(RS2 = 5%, P0 = 37.9 kN/m2 )
P2 = (RS2)(P0) / 100
= (0.05 × 37.9 kN/m2)
P2 = 1.895 kN/m2
= 1,895 N/m2

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 (3) Mass of acetone in the air
(1) mass of acetone in the air initially (m1)
IDEAL GAS EQUATION
At initial condition: (Using Ideal Gas Law @ STP)
PV = nRT, n = mass / Mol Wt. PV = nRT, n = mass (m)
m1 = P1 (V) (MW) / RT Mol Wt (MW)
= (15.16 kN/m2 )(1 m3 ) (58 kg/ kmol) PV = mRT
(8.314 kPa-m3/K-kmol)(303 K) MW
= 0.349 kg m = PV(MW)
RT
(2) mass of acetone in the air at equilibrium (m2)
NOTE: 1 kN/m2 = kPa
At final condition: (Using Ideal Gas Law @ STP) R= 8.314 kPa-m3/K-kmol
PV = nRT, n = mass / Mol Wt.
m2 = P2 (V) (MW) / RT
= (1.895 kN/m2 ) (1 m3 ) ( 58 kg/ kmol)
(8.314 kPa-m3/K-kmol)(303 K)
= 0.044 kg

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 (4) Acetone in the carbon at equilibrium
Locate P2 = 1895 N/m2 and connect to the equilibrium curve. Then draw horizontal line to the left to
determine the acetone in the carbon at equilibrium (Xr= 0.23 kg/kg carbon)
0.4

0.35

xr (kg acetone/ kg carbon)

0.3

0.25
(1895, 0.23)
0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000

Partial pressure of acetone (N/m2)

P2 = 1895 N/m2

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 (5) Mass of carbon added
the mass of carbon to be added (mc):
mc = acetone removed from the air (∆m)
the acetone in the carbon at equilibrium (Xr)
NOTE:
the acetone removed from the air (∆m) = amount of acetone adsorbed in the activated Carbon

Acetone adsorbed = (∆m)

= m1 - m2
= 0.349 kg - 0.044 kg
= 0.305 kg
NOTE: the acetone in the carbon at equilibrium (Xr can be taken from the adsorption isotherm graph
Xr = 0.23 kg acetone/ kg carbon

the mass of carbon to be added (mc):

mc = acetone removed from the air (∆m)
the acetone in the carbon at equilibrium (XR)
= 0.305 kg acetone
0.23 kg acetone /kg carbon
mc = 1.326 kg carbon

Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)

 Final Analysis
Vmix = 1 m3 PT = 100 kN/m2 T = 303 K PT =Pacetone + Pair

Acetone adsorbed = (∆m)

= 0.349 kg – 0.044 kg
= 0.305 kg

Xr = 0.23 kg acetone/ kg carbon

RS1 = 40% RS2 = 5%

mc=0 (assumed initially) mc =?= 1.326 kg carbon
P1 = 15.16 kN/m2= 15,160 N/m2 P2 = 1.895 kN/m2 = 1,895 N/m2
m1 = 0.349 kg m2 = 0.044 kg
Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)
 Practice Problem
Example 3.2 p, 3.32 by K. A.Gavhane (with modification)
The equilibrium adsorption of acetone vapour on an activated
carbon at 303 K (30 0C) is given by the following data:
g adsorbed /g carbon 0 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.35

Partial pressure of acetone, mmHg 0 2 12 42 92

A litre flask contains air and acetone vapour at 1 atm and 303 K
(30 0C) with a relative saturation of vapour of 35%.The flask is
sealed after adding 2 g of fresh activated carbon. Calculate the
final vapour concentration at 303 K and the final pressure
neglecting the adsorption of air.
DATA: Vapour pressure of acetone at 303K is 283 mmHg
MW acetone = 58 kg/kmol
Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)
 Prepared by: Course Coordination Team
Spring Semester (2022-23) EME10318 Unit Operations – II (BEng Chemical Engineering)