Theoretical dehumidification capacity of acorn nutshell-based activated carbon under two Asian urban cities’ ambient air condition

Abstract

• Prepared activated carbon has better dehumidification performance than silica gel under humid ambient air conditions. • Prepared activated carbon can be utilized as desiccant material with a regeneration temperature of lower than 60°C. • The water isotherm shape of prepared activated carbon gives an advantage to the dehumidification performance. Indoor air humidity plays a vital role in determining occupants’ health and industrial product quality. Removing excess humidity by adsorption dehumidification is still facing a challenge in finding a suitable material with high adsorption capacity and low regeneration temperature. In this study, the theoretical dehumidification capacity of prepared acorn nutshell-based activated carbons was calculated and compared with silica gel type RD and RD-2060. The calculation was based on the outdoor air condition in two Asian capital cities: Jakarta and Tokyo. The theoretical study found that prepared activated carbon has better dehumidification performance under Jakarta conditions using regeneration temperatures of less than 60°C. Under Tokyo conditions, activated carbon shows auspicious performance during the summer season. Compared with silica gels, acorn nutshell-based activated carbon has a better dehumidification capacity to process high humidity ambient air with a lower regeneration temperature.