Zero Length Column technique

Deposition of silane on a zeolite s external surface is a well-established method of increasing its shape selective properties by increasing diffusion resistances. In this work, the intracrystalline diffusivities of both parent and silanised ZSM-5 samples are measured by the zero length column technique. It is found that the apparent intracrystalline diffusivity does decrease in the modified samples. This change is either the result of a surface barrier caused by pore mouth narrowing or an increase in intracrystalline tortuosity as a result of pore blockage. It was attempted to clarify the dominant mechanism by considering various mathematical models. 

While microscopic techniques like PFG NMR and QENS measure diffusion paths that are no longer than dimensions of individual crystallites, macroscopic measurements like zero length column (ZLC) and Fourrier Transform infrared (FTIR) cover beds of zeolite crystals [18, 23]. In the case of the popular ZLC technique, desorption rate is measured from a small sample (thin layer, placed between two porous sinter discs) of previously equilibrated adsorbent subjected to a step change in the partial pressure of the sorbate. The slope of the semi-log plot of sorbate concentration versus time under an inert carrier stream then gives D/R. Provided micropore resistance dominates all other mass transfer resistances, D becomes equal to intracrystalline diffusivity while R is the crystal radius. It has been reported that the presence of other mass transfer resistances have been the most common cause of the discrepancies among intracrystaUine diffusivities measured by various techniques [18]. 

Fig. 18. Self-diffusion coefficients of benzene in NaX at 458 K PFG NMR, O (97) and (92) (JENS, A (13) deduced from NMR lineshape analysis, (10). Comparison with nonequilibrium measurements T, sorption uptake with piezometric control (93) , zero-length column method (96) o, frequency-response and single-step frequency-response technique (98). The region of the results of gravimetric measurements with different specimens (92) is indicated by the hatched areas. Asterisked symbols represent data obtained by extrapolation from lower temperatures with an activation energy confirmed by NMR measurements.

More recently, a detailed study of diffusion of the xylene isomers in large crystals of NaX and natural faujasite was undertaken by both sorption rate and tracer exchange.(11-14) The data obtained by both these techniques using several different crystal sizes were entirely consistent but the diffusivities were much smaller than the values derived for the same systems by NMR PFG measurements. In an attempt to resolve this discrepancy we have developed a new chromatographic technique (zero length column or ZLC) which is less sensitive than conventional sorption methods to the intrusion of external heat and mass transfer resistances and which is therefore useful for following relatively rapid diffusion processes. The method has now been applied to study the diffusion of a range of different hydrocarbons in both A and X zeolite crystals and the results of these studies are summarized here. 

In the case of n-hexane adsorption on a powder sample, the concentration profiles (Figure 6) become perfectly rectangular after only t = 0.03 h. The value obtained for 0, (wlO m s ) is of the same order of magnitude as that reported Time(h) in the literature using other techniques (zero length column, fioquency response, etc.) [13]. 

The zero length column (ZLC) technique has become a common tool to measure mass transfer kinetics in microporous adsorbents. The partial loading experiment is a variant of the traditional ZLC method in which the adsorbent is not allowed to reach full equilibration with the gas phase. Even though this variant of the ZLC experiment was introduced over 10 years ago, it has been applied only by few researchers. In this contribution we review the basic theory of the partial loading experiment and show that it can be used to establish the contributions of different mass transfer mechanisms. A detailed numerical model that includes the effects of nonlinearity of the isotherm and combined diffusion and surface barrier effects is presented to allow the correlation of complex sorbate-sorbent systems. 

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