Effects of pore structure and temperature on VOC adsorption on activated carbon

This research was undertaken to investigate the pore structure of three activated carbons and determine the temperature dependence of the adsorption of VOCs onto activated carbon. Three kinds of activated carbon made of different raw materials and four VOC species were chosen. The microporosity of activated carbon was assessed by the pore size distribution. The adsorption of VOCs showed that only C6H6 exhibited the activated entry effect. The VOC adsorption capacity of peat-derived carbon was less dependent on temperature. A characteristic curve was observed for the peat-derived carbon. Benzene adsorption was the most preferable compared to other three VOCs because of higher heats of adsorption and lower entropy change. Results indicate physical adsorption played a critical role during adsorption processes in this study system. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.