Adsorption equilibrium and transport kinetics for a range of probe gases in Takeda 3A carbon molecular sieve

Measurements of adsorption equilibria and transport kinetics for argon, oxygen and nitrogen at 20, 50, and 80 °C on commercially derived Takeda carbon molecular sieve (CMS) employed for air separation have been undertaken in an effort to elucidate fundamental mechanisms of transport. Results indicate that micropore diffusion which is modeled by a Fickian diffusion process, governs the transport of oxygen molecules and the pore mouth barrier controls argon and nitrogen transport which is characterized by a linear driving force (LDF) model. For the three temperatures studied, the pressure dependence of the diffusivity and the LDF rate constant appear to be well characterized by a formulation based on the chemical potential as the driving force for transport. Isosteric heat of adsorption at zero loading and activation energy measurements are compared with predictions made from a previously proposed molecular model for characterizing CMS.