Process intensification in binary adsorption of VOC-water vapor on zeolite in a countercurrent fluidized bed adsorber

Abstract

In this study, fast ideal adsorbed solution theory was coupled with a two-phase bubbling bed approach to describe the adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on zeolite in the presence of water vapor in a multistage fluidized bed adsorber. The binary adsorption of VOC-water vapor was predicted using their single component adsorption isotherms. The model was verified by experimental data obtained at a wide range of operating conditions before being used for studying the process intensification. Validation tests revealed that the model could accurately predict the experimental removal efficiencies (R2 = 0.94), as well as VOC concentration profiles inside the bed (R2 = 0.98). The intensification simulations showed that increasing the adsorbent feed rate is effective when there is a need for more adsorption sites (e.g. at high inlet concentrations), and is quite ineffective when the adsorption process is limited by low solid-gas contact time (e.g. high air flow rates). Increasing the adsorbent feed rate can also diminish the interference of water vapor in adsorption of VOC (even at RH as high as 75%). Reducing air flow rate at constant VOC load is always effective specially when there are enough adsorption sites available (e.g. high adsorbent feed rate, and low VOC loads and RHs). Similarly, increasing the number of stages can effectively improve the fluidized bed performance at high adsorbent feed rates and low VOC inlet concentrations and RHs. Using 3 adsorbers of 2 stages instead of 1 adsorber of 6 stages can improve the removal efficiency up to 34.5% in the range of operating conditions simulated. While having the same high weir height along the bed yields better performance than having the same low weir height, an optimized arrangement of weir heights in a descending order from the top to the bottom of the bed would maximize the removal efficiency.