Isotope Microscopy Visualization of Adsorption Profile Verifies the Mechanism of Higher Adsorption Capacity on Super-fine Powdered Activated Carbon

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25550049
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental engineering and reduction of environmental burden
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: MATSUI Yoshihiko 北海道大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (00173790)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MATSUSHITA Taku 北海道大学, 大学院工学研究院, 准教授 (30283401)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 用排水システム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Decreasing the particle size of powdered activated carbon may enhance its equilibrium adsorption capacity for some compounds, such as geosmin, 2-methylisoborneol, and polystyrene sulfonates. Shell adsorption model (SAM), in which adsorbates preferentially adsorb near the exterior surface of the adsorbent particle, may explain this enhancement. This study used isotope microscopy and deuterium-labeled adsorbates to directly visualize the solid-phase concentration profiles of these compounds in carbon particles. The deuterium/hydrogen ratio, which was used as an index of the solid-phase concentration of the adsorbates, was higher in the shell region than in the inner region of carbon particles. Solid-phase concentrations obtained from the deuterium/hydrogen ratio roughly agreed with those predicted by SAM analyses of isotherm data. The direct visualization of the localization of compounds in carbon particles explained the mechanism of the equilibrium adsorption capacity enhancement.

Free Research Field

工学