Selective adsorption of a novel high selective desiccant for prospective use in heat and moisture recovery for buildings

Selective adsorption of a novel material is analyzed. To improve indoor air quality, a high selective desiccant, which can adsorb more water vapor and less volatile organic compounds (VOCs), is developed for rotary wheels type heat and moisture recovery. This novel desiccant was successfully prepared by amine-functionalization and subsequent self-assembly with malic acid on silica gel. The BET surface area, pore volume and average pore diameter of the prepared desiccant were characterized by N2-adsorption method. The adsorption performances were evaluated by the breakthrough test, and the regeneration ability was also tested. Compared with commercial silica gel, the proposed desiccant exhibits much higher selectivity and acceptable adsorption capacity for water vapor. The selectivities of moisture/toluene and moisture/acetaldehyde are improved by 3.6 and 2.3 times, respectively. The novel desiccant is promising for future use in rotary wheels for heat and moisture recovery with improved indoor air quality.