Theoretical study of the performance of activated carbon in the presence of binary vapor mixtures Original Research Article

The performance of activated carbons in an environment containing two contaminants was evaluated theoretically. A mathematical model developed earlier was used to determine the effect of different parameters on the breakthrough curves of binary mixtures through activated carbon. Due to the difference between the adsorption capacity of carbon for the two components of a binary mixture, one of the compounds travels faster in the carbon bed and has a shorter breakthrough time. The results of this study show that under certain conditions, changing the concentration of the compounds can cause the more strongly adsorbed component to become less strongly adsorbed and travel faster in the bed. A database containing Langmuir constants for adsorption isotherms of many compounds for eleven different types of activated carbon was generated. The data base can be used to predict breakthrough times of pure or binary mixtures through activated carbons.