Parameter Evaluation for Carbon Adsorption

Abstract

The dynamics of adsorption for various adsorbate‐adsorbent systems have been predicted successfully using the homogeneous surface diffusion model (HSDM). External film mass transfer and surface diffusion coefficients, as well as adsorption equilibrium parameters must be defined in order to solve the mathematical model. Simple batch experiments are usually performed to determine the mass transfer coefficients; whereas bottle tests are employed to obtain the equilibrium data. The parameter search procedure presented in this paper uniquely determines these parameters for the HSDM. No limitations are imposed on this search due to the dominance of one mass transport mechanism over the other, such as cases limited by either external film or surface diffusion resistance. Simple residual plots are used to examine the reliability of the estimated parameters and to judge whether the HSDM is the appropriate model for describing specific adsorption data.