Micropore structure of activated carbons and predictions of adsorption equilibrium

Abstract A method for calculating micropore size distributions based on a molecular model of adsorption and analytical solution for the adsorption isotherm is presented in this study. Micropore volume filling is considered to be an evolution of two-dimensional condensation, which occurs on micropore walls at the critical condensation pressure. The treatment of adsorption isotherms of propane, propylene, acetylene, ethylene, cyclopentane and benzene shows that the method offers a quantitative approach to determining a reliable carbon texture, which is independent of adsorbate employed and adsorption temperature. The invariant parameters of porous structure coupled with molecular constants of adsorbate provide a prediction of the adsorption equilibrium in a wide range of pressures. Good agreement between experimental and calculated data is demonstrated for adsorption of both gases and vapors.