Adsorption of low concentration phosphine in yellow phosphorus off-gas by impregnated activated carbon

In order to utilize high concentration CO comprehensively, impregnated activated carbon sorbent and the catalytic oxidation reaction for PH3 were investigated in this study. Carbon was impregnated with HCl, KNO3, or hexanediol. The activated carbon modified by 7% (mass fraction) HCl could enhance the adsorption purification ability significantly. Raising the reaction temperature or increasing the oxygen content of the gas can improve the purification efficiency. The structure of the materials after modification was determined using nitrogen adsorption. The modification decreased the volume of pores smaller than 2 nm in diameter with the most noticeable change occurring in the micropores ranging from 0.3 nm to 1.5 nm in diameter. Decreases in micropore volume accounted for 87% of the total pore volume change. After the adsorption, the surface areas decreased 28%, 29% of which was due to decreased micropore surface. HCl significantly increased the performance of carbon as a PH3 adsorbent when HCl impregnation was applied whereas the effects of other materials used in this study were much less pronounced. HCl present in the small pores probably acted as a catalyst for oxygen activation that caused PH3 oxidation. As a result of this process, H3PO4 and P4O10 were formed, strongly adsorbed, and present in the small pores ranging from 0.3 nm to 1.5 nm. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that CO from industrial off-gas can be purified and used as the raw material for a broader range of products.