Influence of Mineral Composition of Chars Derived by Hydrothermal Carbonization on Sorption Behavior of CO2, CH4, and O2

Adsorption kinetics and equilibria of two methanol samples with different water content on activated carbon

To investigate the influence of fluid purity on the adsorption properties, adsorption kinetics and adsorption equilibria of two methanol samples with different water content on an activated carbon were studied. The purity of the methanol samples was 98.5% and 99.9%. Measurements were conducted at 298 K and 318 K using a magnetic suspension balance and cover a wide p/p0 range. To determine effective diffusion time constants and mass transfer coefficients, adsorption kinetics were evaluated using an isothermal and a nonisothermal Fickian diffusion model, and the linear driving force model. The pressure dependence of the kinetic parameters was studied and discussed. A small influence of sample purity on the adsorption equilibria was observed, as the purer methanol sample showed slightly higher equilibrium loadings than the less pure sample. However, significantly faster adsorption kinetics were observed for the purer sample at all temperature and pressure conditions. Compared to the less pure sample, the determined effective diffusion time constants and the mass transfer coefficients were up to 98% and 35% higher, respectively.

Temperature dependence of adsorption hysteresis in flexible metal organic frameworks

"Breathing" and "gating" are striking phenomena exhibited by flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in which their pore structures transform upon external stimuli. These effects are often associated with eminent steps and hysteresis in sorption isotherms. Despite significant mechanistic studies, the accurate description of stepped isotherms and hysteresis remains a barrier to the promised applications of flexible MOFs in molecular sieving, storage and sensing. Here, we investigate the temperature dependence of structural transformations in three flexible MOFs and present a new isotherm model to consistently analyse the transition pressures and step widths. The transition pressure reduces exponentially with decreasing temperature as does the degree of hysteresis (c.f. capillary condensation). The MOF structural transition enthalpies range from +6 to +31 kJ·mol^-1 revealing that the adsorption-triggered transition is entropically driven. Pressure swing adsorption process simulations based on flexible MOFs that utilise the model reveal how isotherm hysteresis can affect separation performance.