ROLE OF ENERGY-DISTRIBUTION IN MULTICOMPONENT SORPTION KINETICS IN BIDISPERSED SOLIDS

The heterogeneous macropore, surface and micropore diffusion model recently proposed by Hu et al. (1993) for single-component systems is extended to multi-component systems in the description of sorption kinetics of gaseous adsorbates in bidispersed (macropore and micropore diffusions), heterogeneous microporous particles. This model describes sorption of gaseous adsorbates with allowance for the energy distribution of adsorption site for both equilibrium and diffusion of the adsorbed species. A uniform distribution is used to describe this energy distribution, and the cumulative energy distribution function is assumed the same for all species in the analysis of multicomponent mixtures. Extensive experimental data of ethane and propane in Ajax activated carbon are collected to study the effects of energy distribution on the binary adsorption, desorption, and displacement dynamics.