METHOD FOR CALCULATING BREAKTHROUGH CURVES OF BICOMPONENT FIXED-BED ADSORPTION UNDER CONSTANT PATTERN AND LINEAR DRIVING FORCE

A simplified method was developed for calculating the breakthrough curves in fixed-bed adsorption with two solutes under the constant pattern (CP) and the linear driving force (LDF) approximations, in which both external fluid film mass transfer and intraparticle diffusion resistances were taken into account. By comparing three design methods derived without the CP approximation, the LDF approximation was found to be valid in the case of surface diffusion kinetics and also to hold approximately in the case of pore diffusion kinetics. The minimum column length required to establish the constant pattern was estimated by two methods, one employing the CP approximation, the other not, and the minimum column length was found to be estimated only by the simplified method. Experimental breakthrough curves were obtained for an aqueous solution of dodecylbenzenesulfonate and p-nitrophenol and a gaseous mixture of benzene and toluene. They were compared with the breakthrough curves predicted by the simplified method. © 1979, The Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan. All rights reserved.