Heat and mass transfer in steam desorption of an activated carbon adsorber

Activated carbon columns are often used for purification of indoor air which is contaminated with solvent vapours. The regeneration of the used activated carbon is practically conducted with steam, which is followed with a drying/cooling process to dry and to cool down the column, as cold and dry carbon is essential for the followed adsorption cycle. A Double-Two-Mechanism-Model was proposed to describe the dynamic steaming process which has been a less understood but an important step in the adsorption cycles. Experiments in a pilot-scale adsorber showed strong evidence of these mechanisms which will lead to a better understanding of steam regeneration process. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.