Thermal Behavior of Activated Carbon Cloths Heated by Joule Effect

Abstract

Activated carbon cloths (ACC) are promising adsorbents for the treatment of air loaded with volatile organic compounds (VOC). Their characteristics and properties allow them particularly high adsorption capacities and useful handling. Moreover, the Joule effect regeneration of these media may be used as a regeneration process. These peculiarities make it possible to design and size ACC filters for a wide range of industrial applications: low VOC concentration and flow for indoor air quality as well as high concentration and flow in some industrial effluents. Hence, innovating reactors could be equipped with such an adsorption-desorption process which permit us to recover the condensed compounds. The heating of ACC by Joule effect (between 20 and 250°C) is generally highly homogeneous, and the spatial distribution of the temperatures is directly connected to the activation level distribution in the material. A characterization method and a modeling approach are proposed to describe the ACC thermal behavior and to compare and select the best media in term of regeneration process. This allows sizing of future industrial processes.