Comparison of adsorption characteristics according to polarity difference of acetone vapor and toluene vapor on silica–alumina fixed-bed reactor

Adsorption characteristics of acetone vapor and toluene vapor on silica–alumina were investigated using a fixed-bed reactor. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of acetone vapor on silica–alumina was about four times higher than that of toluene vapor because of polarity difference between adsorbent and adsorbate. As inlet concentration and linear velocity were increased, MTZ (mass transfer zone) and LUB (length of unused bed) were increased. In binary vapor systems, the phenomenon of “roll-up” was observed in the breakthrough curves. Thus the more strongly adsorbed adsorbate (acetone) displaces the weaker adsorbate (toluene), leading to a rise in the effluent concentration of the less strongly adsorbed adsorbate above the inlet concentration. Temperature changes in silica–alumina bed during adsorption of acetone vapor and toluene vapor were occurred near 30 min and the increase of temperature by adsorption heat was in the range of 6–7 °C.