Adsorption Ideal

It turns out that many surfaces (and many line patterns such as shown in Fig. XV-7) conform empirically to Eq. VII-20 (or Eq. VII-21) over a significant range of r (or a). Fractal surfaces thus constitute an extreme departure from ideal plane surfaces yet are amenable to mathematical analysis. There is a considerable literature on the subject, but Refs. 104-109 are representative. The fractal approach to adsorption phenomena is discussed in Section XVI-13. 

Various functional forms for / have been proposed either as a result of empirical observation or in terms of specific models. A particularly important example of the latter is that known as the Langmuir adsorption equation [2]. By analogy with the derivation for gas adsorption (see Section XVII-3), the Langmuir model assumes the surface to consist of adsorption sites, each having an area a. All adsorbed species interact only with a site and not with each other, and adsorption is thus limited to a monolayer. Related lattice models reduce to the Langmuir model under these assumptions [3,4]. In the case of adsorption from solution, however, it seems more plausible to consider an alternative phrasing of the model. Adsorption is still limited to a monolayer, but this layer is now regarded as an ideal two-dimensional solution of equal-size solute and solvent molecules of area a. Thus lateral interactions, absent in the site picture, cancel out in the ideal solution however, in the first version is a properly of the solid lattice, while in the second it is a properly of the adsorbed species. Both models attribute differences in adsorption behavior entirely to differences in adsorbate-solid interactions. Both present adsorption as a competition between solute and solvent. 

It is not necessary to limit the model to idealized sites Everett [5] has extended the treatment by incorporating surface activity coefficients as corrections to N and N2. The adsorption enthalpy can be calculated from the temperature dependence of the adsorption isotherm [6]. If the solution is taken to be ideal, then... 

Returning to Eq. XI-4, wiA C2 replacing 02, at low concentrations 112 will be proportional to C2 with a slope n b. At sufficiently high concentrations /I2 approaches the limiting value n . Thus is a measure of the capacity of the adsorbent and b of the intensity of the adsorption. In terms of the ideal model, nf should not depend on temperature, while b should show an exponential... 

Alternative approaches treat the adsorbed layer as an ideal solution or in terms of a Polanyi potential model (see Refs. 12-14 and Section XVII-7) a related approach has been presented by Myers and Sircar [15]. Adsorption rates have been modeled as diffusion controlled [16,17]. 

SAMs are generating attention for numerous potential uses ranging from chromatography [SO] to substrates for liquid crystal alignment [SI]. Most attention has been focused on future application as nonlinear optical devices [49] however, their use to control electron transfer at electrochemical surfaces has already been realized [S2], In addition, they provide ideal model surfaces for studies of protein adsorption [S3]. 

The potential model has been applied to the adsorption of mixtures of gases. In the ideal adsorbed solution model, the adsorbed layer is treated as a simple solution, but with potential parameters assigned to each component (see Refs. 76-79). 

On the other hand, as applied to the submonolayer region, the same comment can be made as for the localized model. That is, the two-dimensional non-ideal-gas equation of state is a perfectly acceptable concept, but one that, in practice, is remarkably difficult to distinguish from the localized adsorption picture. If there can be even a small amount of surface heterogeneity the distinction becomes virtually impossible (see Section XVll-14). Even the cases of phase change are susceptible to explanation on either basis. 

To obtain a reliable value of from the isotherm it is necessary that the monolayer shall be virtually complete before the build-up of higher layers commences this requirement is met if the BET parameter c is not too low, and will be reflected in a sharp knee of the isotherm and a well defined Point B. For conversion of into A, the ideal adsorptive would be one which is composed of spherically symmetrical molecules and always forms a non-localized film, and therefore gives the same value of on all adsorbents. Non-localization demands a low value of c as c increases the adsorbate molecules move more and more closely into registry with the lattice of the adsorbent, so that becomes increasingly dependent on the lattice dimensions of the adsorbent, and decreasingly dependent on the molecular size of the adsorbate. 

Fig. 3.15 (a) A pore in the form of an interstice between close-packed and equal-sized spherical particles. The adsorbed him which precedes capillary condensation is indicated, (b) Adsorption isotherm (idealized). 

Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory. Perhaps the most successful approach to the prediction of multicomponent equiUbria from single-component isotherm data is ideal adsorbed solution theory (14). In essence, the theory is based on the assumption that the adsorbed phase is thermodynamically ideal in the sense that the equiUbrium pressure for each component is simply the product of its mole fraction in the adsorbed phase and the equihbrium pressure for the pure component at the same spreadingpressure. The theoretical basis for this assumption and the details of the calculations required to predict the mixture isotherm are given in standard texts on adsorption (7) as well as in the original paper (14). Whereas the theory has been shown to work well for several systems, notably for mixtures of hydrocarbons on carbon adsorbents, there are a number of systems which do not obey this model. Azeotrope formation and selectivity reversal, which are observed quite commonly in real systems, ate not consistent with an ideal adsorbed... 

Detailed Modeling Results. The results of a series of detailed calculations for an ideal isothermal plug-flow Langmuir system are summarized in Figure 15. The soHd lines show the form of the theoretical breakthrough curves for adsorption and desorption, calculated from the following set of model equations and expressed in terms of the dimensionless variables T, and P ... 

Isotherm Models for Adsorption of Mixtures. Of the following models, all but the ideal adsorbed solution theory (lAST) and the related heterogeneous ideal adsorbed solution theory (HIAST) have been shown to contain some thermodynamic inconsistencies. References to the limited available Hterature data on the adsorption of gas mixtures on activated carbons and 2eohtes have been compiled, along with a brief summary of approximate percentage differences between data and theory for the various theoretical models (16). In the following the subscripts i and j refer to different adsorbates. 

Many simple systems that could be expected to form ideal Hquid mixtures are reasonably predicted by extending pure-species adsorption equiUbrium data to a multicomponent equation. The potential theory has been extended to binary mixtures of several hydrocarbons on activated carbon by assuming an ideal mixture (99) and to hydrocarbons on activated carbon and carbon molecular sieves, and to O2 and N2 on 5A and lOX zeoHtes (100). Mixture isotherms predicted by lAST agree with experimental data for methane + ethane and for ethylene + CO2 on activated carbon, and for CO + O2 and for propane + propylene on siUca gel (36). A statistical thermodynamic model has been successfully appHed to equiUbrium isotherms of several nonpolar species on 5A zeoHte, to predict multicomponent sorption equiUbria from the Henry constants for the pure components (26). A set of equations that incorporate surface heterogeneity into the lAST model provides a means for predicting multicomponent equiUbria, but the agreement is only good up to 50% surface saturation (9). 

The ACR Process. The first step in the SCR reaction is the adsorption of the ammonia on the catalyst. SCR catalysts can adsorb considerable amounts of ammonia (45). However, the adsorption must be selective and high enough to yield reasonable cycle times for typical industrial catalyst loadings, ie, uptakes in excess of 0.1% by weight. The rate of adsorption must be comparable to the rate of reaction to ensure that suitable fronts are formed. The rate of desorption must be slow. Ideally the adsorption isotherm is rectangular. For optimum performance, the reaction must be irreversible and free of side reactions. 

The performance of adsorption processes results in general from the combined effects of thermodynamic and rate factors. It is convenient to consider first thermodynamic factors. These determine the process performance in a limit where the system behaves ideally i.e. without mass transfer and Idnetic limitations and with the fluid phase in perfect... 

This expression can be used to describe both pore and solid diffusion so long as the driving force is expressed in terms of the appropriate concentrations. Although the driving force should be more correctly expressed in terms of chemical potentials, Eq. (16-63) provides a qualitatively and quantitatively correct representation of adsorption systems so long as the diffusivity is allowed to be a function of the adsorbate concentration. The diffusivity will be constant only for a thermodynamically ideal system, which is only an adequate approximation for a limited number of adsorption systems. 

The operating environmental temperature has an effect on the carbon canister performance [20]. Fig. 14 shows a 10% degradation in GWC as the environmental temperature increases from 25 to 80 °C. The hydrocarbon heel decreases by 55% during the same test. The hot environment helps to pui ge out the canister, but adsorption is reduced under the same conditions. Ideally the canister would be packaged in an area where it would not pick up heat from vehicle operation. 

Temperature and Humidity When adsorption, absorption, or condensation is employed, the lowest inlet gas temperature is desirable. Adsorbent and absorbent capacities generally increase with the decreasing gas temperature. High waste-gas temperatures may preclude the use of adsorption or condensatit)n due to the cost of chilling. Thermal and catalytic oxidation benefit from a hot effluent gas stream, as that reduces the supplementary fuel requirement. In biological treatment, a waste-gas temperature of near 37 °C is ideal. 

In this review we consider several systems in detail, ranging from idealized models for adsorbates with purely repulsive interactions to the adsorption of spherical particles (noble gases) and/or (nearly) ellipsoidal molecules (N2, CO). Of particular interest are the stable phases in monolayers and the phase transitions between these phases when the coverage and temperature in the system are varied. Most of the phase transitions in these systems occur at fairly low temperatures, and for many aspects of the behavior quantum effects need to be considered. For several other theoretical studies of adsorbed layer phenomena see Refs. 59-89. 

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