Adsorption of acetone/heptane gaseous mixtures on zeolite co-adsorption equilibria and selectivities

In the present study, co-adsorption of gaseous n-heptane and acetone is stu died. The adsorbent is a commercial hydrophobic zeolite. Breakthrough curve s and isotherms are measured for three different acetone/heptane mixture ra tios and for pure components. Zeolites showed a greater adsorption capacity for acetone alone than for heptane alone. For the mixtures, the majority c omponent was the most adsorbed. Zeolites have a good selectivity for aceton e even though acetone is more volatile than heptane. Specific adsorption si tes are reserved for acetone adsorption and are not accessible to heptane. The polarity of a component leads to electrostatic interactions with cation exchange. On non-specific adsorption sites, acetone can be displaced by he ptane, which is less volatile. Moreover, experiments show that selectivity depends on the ratio of the mixture. For co-adsorption of a mixture of pola r and non-polar components, selectivity depends on relative polarity, mixtu re ratio, and boiling point.