Dynamic adsorption and desorption of volatile organic compounds on different adsorbents

The dynamic adsorption and desorption behaviors of volatile organic compounds (VOCs, including n-hexane, toluene and ethyl acetate) on various adsorbents (including activated carbon and 5A, NaY, 13X, ZSM-5 (SiO₂/Al₂O₃=27 and 300), Hβ and MCM-41 zeolites) were investigated by gas chromatography and thermogravimetic (TG) analysis; the effect of type, volumetric space velocity (SV) and concentration of VOC on the adsorption capacities was considered. The results show that more VOCs can be adsorbed at higher SV and concentration of VOCs to a certain extent. Activated carbon exhibits the largest adsorption capacity per unit mass towards the VOCs considered in this work, whereas the 13X and NaY zeolites display larger adsorption capacity per unit volume than other adsorbents.