Adsorption of volatile organic compounds on modified spherical activated carbon in a new cyclonic fluidized bed

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are severe environmental pollutants that pose a serious threat to human health. In this study, a new type of cyclonic fluidized bed was designed to carry out absorption of VOCs by activated carbon, in which the collision and adsorption between activated carbon particles and VOC moleculars were enhanced by three-dimensional rotating turbulent shear. We studied the VOC adsorption efficiency of three kinds of modified spherical activated carbon (SAC-1, SAC-2, and SAC-3) and five kinds of cyclonic fluidized bed (S11-44, S11-33, S11-22, S13-22, and S16-22). The pressure drop of the cyclonic fluidized bed under different inlet flow rates, activated carbon dosages, and inlet VOC concentrations were also investigated. The results indicate that smaller inlet flow rate, larger activated carbon dosage, larger diameter and smaller inserted depth of the cyclone fluidized bed overflow pipe will lead to lower pressure drop and higher VOCs adsorption efficiency. The pitch-based SAC-1 and the S16-22 cyclonic fluidized bed had the highest adsorption efficiency (100%) and the lowest pressure drop (120 Pa). This study not only benefits VOC absorption but also serves as a useful guide for the development of cyclone separation technology in industrial processes.