Mass Transfer in VOC Adsorption on Zeolite : Experimental and Theoretical Breakthrough Curves

Stephan Brosillon (1) , Marie-Hélène Manero (2) , Jean-Noel Foussard (3)

1 IEM - Institut Européen des membranes
2 LGC - Laboratoire de Génie Chimique
3 LISBP - Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés

From experimental results of adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on zeolite, we propose simulations of the breakthrough curves based on the Linear Driving Force model. Experiments were run on fixed beds of hydrophobic commercial zeolites. Pollutants chosen are from several chemical classes with different polarities. A good agreement between experimental and numerical results is found when an adjustable value of the internal mass-transfer coefficient is used. A constant value of effective diffusivity is found independent of the nature and the amount of VOCs adsorbed. A relation linking intrapellet mass-transfer coefficient and equilibrium constant is proposed, including the average effective diffusivity, to make predictions of breakthrough curves for any kind of volatile organic pollutant in gaseous effluents

Mots clés: volatile organic compounds; Zeolite; Mass-transfer

Domaines: Génie chimique; Génie des procédés

Stephan Brosillon, Marie-Hélène Manero, Jean-Noel Foussard. Mass Transfer in VOC Adsorption on Zeolite : Experimental and Theoretical Breakthrough Curves. Environmental Science and Technology, 2001, 35 (17), pp.3571-3575. ⟨10.1021/es010017x⟩. ⟨hal-01897855⟩