Experimental and theoretical study of the temperature-dependence of multicomponent adsorption between -80 °C and +80°C

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Dieter Bathen
• Subject Area: Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 451578410

The aim of the proposed project is to experimentally investigate and thermodynamically model the temperature dependence of mixture adsorption of chemically similar C2 to C5 hydrocarbons over a wide temperature range between -80°C and +80°C for the first time.Combinations of adsorptives and adsorbents are investigated, which differ in their fundamental adsorption mechanisms and therefore provide deeper insights into mixture adsorption, e.g. n-alkanes and n-alkenes of the same chain length combined with sodium-based and (partially) calcium-exchanged zeolites. For these systems, single-component adsorption isotherms and mixture isotherms are determined experimentally.The experimental results, the underlying mechanisms and the temperature dependence of the interactions are to be analysed and discussed. To describe the experimental data, (temperature-dependent) thermodynamically consistent models are to be applied, modified or further developed if necessary. This includes established methods like IAST, but also, if these do not show sufficient accuracy, more complex models like RAST with corresponding activity coefficient models. These models also serve to gain a deeper scientific understanding of the temperature dependence of multicomponent adsorption to be able to predict it and transfer it to other systems.Finally, the temperature dependence of the adsorptive separation will be quantified on the basis of selectivity parameters in order to optimize process parameters for technical separations.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants