WATER-VAPOR ADSORPTION ON CHEMICALLY TREATED ACTIVATED CARBON CLOTHS

Water vapor adsorption on activated carbon cloth (ACC20) which has bee n oxidized to a level of 32% oxygen exhibits a unique isotherm with un iform hysteresis of small magnitude upon desorption, In contrast the a dsorption on untreated ACC20 and chemically modified ACC20 (7.8% Cl), ACC20 (16% Cl), and ACC20 (4% N), exhibits sigmoidal isotherms with hy steresis loops of varying magnitudes, The latter ACCs display high cap acity for moisture removal at relative humidities >50%, At saturation, all treated cloths exhibit high adsorption capacities for water (0.5- 0.67 mL/g of fiber) and 100% desorption upon heating to 100 degrees C, The untreated and treated ACC20 samples exhibited no degradation upon heating to 100 degrees C. Total water adsorption volumes are lower th an the total nitrogen pore volumes for all samples except for the ACC2 0 (32% O), which adsorbs similar volumes of both adsorbates.