Composite Adsorbent Material with Thin-Walled Structure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing composite adsorbent structures face challenges in achieving a high external surface area and short diffusion path while maintaining strength and minimizing material usage, leading to issues with pressure drop and adsorption efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The development of self-supporting composite adsorbent structures using activated carbon with a binder, such as alginate salt and chitosan, and optional reinforcement fibers, formed into shaped particles, filaments, or monoliths with a high external surface area to volume ratio, allowing for low pressure drop and efficient adsorption without the need for additional support materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If activated carbon is used in powdered or granular form, then adsorption capacity is achieved, but pressure drop increases and structural strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines activated carbon particles with a binder material to form composite adsorbent structures. The binder holds the carbon particles together in a self-supporting configuration that maintains high external surface area while reducing pressure drop compared to loose powdered or granular carbon.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin-walled structural configurations where the activated carbon is formed into hollow or thin-walled particles. This increases the external surface area to volume ratio, providing more adsorption sites while maintaining low pressure drop characteristics due to the thin walls and open structure.
2Strength
If activated carbon is formed into dense granules, then structural strength increases, but external surface area decreases and diffusion path increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates thin-walled hollow particles or structures where the carbon forms a thin shell rather than a dense solid granule. This thin-walled configuration provides high external surface area for adsorption while the hollow structure maintains adequate mechanical strength and provides short diffusion paths to the internal surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The binder material serves multiple functions: it provides structural strength to hold the carbon particles together, it creates a self-supporting configuration that maintains high external surface area, and it enables the formation of complex shapes that optimize both strength and surface area characteristics simultaneously.
3Productivity
If activated carbon is formed into extrudates or special shapes, then adsorption kinetics improve, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes parameters such as particle size distribution, wall thickness, and external surface area to volume ratio to enhance adsorption kinetics. By controlling these parameters during the forming process, the patent achieves improved mass transfer and adsorption rates while using standard extrusion and drying equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the activated carbon into particles of optimized size ranges and combines them with binder in controlled proportions. This segmentation approach allows the carbon to be processed through standard extrusion equipment while maintaining the particle size characteristics necessary for high adsorption kinetics.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These structures provide enhanced adsorption rates and capacity with reduced pressure drop and water resistance, maintaining a high adsorption efficiency and flexibility in form and function, as demonstrated by improved adsorption rates and capacities in various applications.
Implementation Method 1
By its large internal surface activated carbon is especially suited for the physical adsorption of adsorbates
Implementation Method 2
Composite adsorbents in the present invention comprise at least a, preferably particulate, adsorbent and a binder, thereby providing a strong self-supporting adsorbent structure
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is directed to shaped composite adsorbent material, comprising particulate activated carbon material, bound by a suitable binder, preferably selected from the group of sodium alginate calcium alginate, chitosan, polyacrylamide, polyethylene oxide and mixtures thereof, more in particular a combination of chitosan and alginate, whereby the activation of the carbon material has taken place before binding the material.