Effects of adsorbate–adsorbate interaction in the description of adsorption isotherm of hydrocarbons in micro–mesoporous carbonaceous materials

In this paper, we present a model accounting for the adsorbate–adsorbate interaction in the adsorbed phase in the description of adsorption of pure vapors on carbonaceous materials. The details of the adsorbate–adsorbate interaction of a particular species are obtained from the analysis of its adsorption data on non-porous carbon black. The predictability of the model is tested against the adsorption isotherm data for benzene, toluene, n-pentane, n-hexane, carbon tetrachloride, methanol and ethanol on microporous activated carbon. It was found that the model prediction for non-polar adsorbates are satisfactory while it under-predicts for polar adsorbates, which is attributed to their additional interaction with functional groups.