Fixed bed utilization for the isolation of xylene vapor: Kinetics and optimization using response surface methodology and artificial neural network

Abstract

This paper discusses the isolation of xylene vapor through adsorption using granular activated carbon as an adsorbent. The operating parameters investigated were bed height, inlet xylene concentration and flow rate, their influence on the percentage utilization of the adsorbent bed up to the breakthrough was found out. Mathematical modeling of experimental data was then performed by employing a response surface methodology (RSM) technique to obtain a set of optimum operating conditions to achieve maximum percentage utilization of bed till breakthrough. A fairly high value of R2 (0.993) asserted the proposed polynomial equation’s validity. ANOVA results indicated the model to be highly significant with respect to operating parameters studied. A maximum of 76.1% utilization of adsorbent bed was found out at a bed height of 0.025 m, inlet xylene concentration of 6,200 ppm and a gas flow rate of 25 mL.min-1. Furthermore, the artificial neural network (ANN) was also employed to compute the percentage utilization of the adsorbent bed. A comparison between RSM and ANN divulged the performance of the latter (R2 = 0.99907) to be slightly better. Out of various kinetic models studied, the Yoon-Nelson model established its appropriateness in anticipating the breakthrough curves.