Environ. Sci. Technol., 42 (6), 21502154, 2008. 10.1021/es702162y
Web Release Date: February 15, 2008

Copyright © 2008 American Chemical Society

Supercritical CO2 Desorption of Activated Carbon Loaded with 2,2,3,3-Tetrafluoro-1-Propanol in a Rotating Packed Bed

Chung-Sung Tan* and Pei-Lun Lee

Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30013 ROC

Received for review August 29, 2007

Revised manuscript received October 26, 2007

Accepted December 17, 2007

Abstract:

Desorption of activated carbon loaded with 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoro-1-propanol (TFP) by supercritical carbon dioxide in a rotating packed bed was investigated in this study. The experimental data show that the time required to achieve complete desorption of TFP from activated carbon in a rotating packed bed was much lower than that in a static packed bed. The reduction of desorption time is attributed to the presence of centrifugal force. The supercritical CO2 desorption efficiency in a rotating packed bed was observed to increase with increasing rotation speed, pressure, and CO2 flow rate. To enhance desorption efficiency, a smaller activated carbon particle size was suggested. At low operating pressures such as 8.96 and 11.72 MPa, a better desorption efficiency was found to occur at lower temperatures in a temperature range of 305−335 K. However, at high operating pressures such as 15.86 MPa, a temperature of 315 K was found to be more appropriate for desorption, as compared to other temperatures. Due to a reduction of packed bed volume and an increase in desorption efficiency, supercritical CO2 desorption in a rotating packed bed is suggested for recovering TFP from the exhaust gases.

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