ROLE OF ENERGY-DISTRIBUTION IN MULTICOMPONENT SORPTION KINETICS IN BIDISPERSED SOLIDS

The heterogeneous macropore, surface and micropore diffusion model rec ently proposed by Hu et al. (1993) for single-component systems is ext ended to multi-component systems in the description of sorption kineti cs of gaseous adsorbates in bidispersed (macropore and micropore diffu sions), heterogeneous microporous particles. This model describes sorp tion of gaseous adsorbates with allowance for the energy distribution of adsorption site for both equilibrium and diffusion of the adsorbed species. A uniform distribution is used to describe this energy distri bution, and the cumulative energy distribution function is assumed the same for all species in the analysis of multicomponent mixtures. Exte nsive experimental data of ethane and propane in Ajax activated carbon are collected to study the effects of energy distribution on the bina ry adsorption, desorption, and displacement dynamics.