Modeling breakthrough curves of volatile organic compounds on activated carbon fibers

Granular activated carbon (GAC) and more recently activated carbon fibers (ACF) are used for the treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in industrial processes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the adsorption kinetics of ACF to eliminate VOC from polluted air. This approach is carried out by modeling experimental breakthrough curves with two kinds of models: an equilibrium model and a mass transfer model based on a linear driving force (LDF) in conjunction with the Langmuir equilibrium model. The results show the influence of the intraparticle diffusion on the adsorption kinetics of ACF, in spite of their small fiber diameter. Moreover, external diffusion kinetics is fast because of the influence of the large external surface area of ACF on the VOC mass transfer.