Adsorption isotherms and Sips models of nitrogen, methane, ethane, and propane on commercial activated carbons and polyvinylidene chloride

In this paper we present the measured isotherms of nitrogen, methane, ethane, and propane on three carbons: Norit RB2, Chemviron AP 4-60, and highly activated Saran. The measurements are taken at temperatures between 300 and 400 K, in 20 K steps. The measured data is fitted to the Sips adsorption model, where the Sips parameters are determined by a linearization method. The Sips parameters are further adjusted to realize a logic dependence on temperature and the parameter characteristics are discussed. Subsequently, the Sips model is modified to incorporate the temperature dependence. Including the temperature dependence results in a slightly higher error relative to the experimental results (typically 10 % as compared to 6 %). The immediate research product is a convenient expression for every adsorbate-adsorbent system which is discussed in this paper, for calculating the adsorption concentration as a function of temperature and pressure. A more general research product is a better understanding of the Sips parameter characteristics that should help in developing future adsorbents on demand.