Page 20 - Adsorbents fundamentals and applications

COMMERCIAL SORBENTS AND APPLICATIONS 5

Table 1.1. (continued)
Separation Adsorbent

Gas Purification
H 2 O/olefin-containing cracked gas, Silica, alumina, zeolite (3A)
natural gas, air, synthesis gas, etc.
CO 2 /C 2 H 4 , natural gas, etc. Zeolite, carbon molecular sieve
Hydrocarbons, halogenated organics, Activated carbon, silicalite, others
solvents/vent streams
Sulfur compounds/natural gas, hydrogen, Zeolite, activated alumina
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), etc.
SO 2 /vent streams Zeolite, activated carbon
Odors/air Silicalite, others
Indoor air pollutants — VOCs Activated carbon, silicalite, resins
Tank-vent emissions/air or nitrogen Activated carbon, silicalite
Hg/chlor-alkali cell gas effluent Zeolite
Liquid Bulk Separations
Normal paraffins/isoparaffins, aromatics Zeolite
p-xylene/o-xylene, m-xylene Zeolite
Detergent-range olefins/paraffins Zeolite
p-Diethyl benzene/isomer mixture Zeolite
Fructose/glucose Zeolite
Chromatographic analytical separations Wide range of inorganic, polymer, and
affinity agents
Liquid Purifications
H 2 /organics, oxygenated organics, Silica, alumina, zeolite, corn grits
halogenated organics, etc., dehydration
Organics, halogenated organics, Activated carbon, silicalite, resins
oxygenated organics,
etc./H 2 O — water purification
Inorganics (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Se, Pb, F, Activated carbon
Cl, radionuclides, etc.)/H 2 O — water
purification
Odor and taste bodies/H 2 O Activated carbon
Sulfur compounds/organics Zeolite, alumina, others
Decolorizing petroleum fractions, syrups, Activated carbon
vegetable oils, etc.
Various fermentation products/fermentor Activated carbon, affinity agents
effluent
Drug detoxification in the body Activated carbon

The components that are to be adsorbed are listed first (from Humphrey and Keller, 1997, with
permission, and with minor modification).