Determination and correlation of binary gas adsorption equilibria of VOCs

Highly porous activated carbon is used in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the purification of room air. Since the activated carbon must be capable of removing VOCs at low concentrations through adsorption, studies on the adsorption equilibrium of trace-level concentrations of VOCs are essential. To determine the adsorption isotherm, a headspace gas chromatography (HSGC) method was used, with analysis carried out using gas chromatography or gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The reliability of this method was confirmed by comparison of the adsorption isotherms of methanol measured by the HSGC method with those measured by the volumetric method. Isotherms for three different types of activated carbon and eight types of VOCs were determined over a wide range of concentrations. Furthermore, the results of the HSGC method for two systems of binary adsorption equilibrium (dichloromethane+trichloroethylene) and (benzene+toluene), were found to be correlated with those of the ideal adsorbed solution theory.