Study of the adsorbate-adsorbent interaction potential: Ethanol-activated carbon AC35

摘要

In this study, a mathematical model of the adsorbate-adsorbent interaction potential as a function of the pore radius in the case of the adsorption of a gas by a microporous solid is proposed. The suggested mathematical model is based on the flow concept: the flow of the quantity of adsorbed material is proportional to the variation of the potential. The experimental study of the flow enabled us to determine the expression of the variation of the potential, and through integration, to state the expression of the latter. The experimental curve of the flux as a function of the pore radius includes a point of inflection. Mathematically, this type of curve is described by two equations. One corresponds to the adsorption in micropores and mesopores [r(0) < r <= r(2)], whereas the other corresponds to the adsorption by macropores and the lateral surface of the activated carbon grain AC35 [r(2) <= r]. This implies the existence of two types of interaction forces between the adsorbate molecules and the adsorbent. This study confirms the concordance of the two adsorption models (Dubinin-Astakov and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) with the experiment. In addition, the proposed mathematical model will allow to perform quantification studies of the energy that is exchanged during adsorption.