Adsorption of n-butane Dissolved in Water and Aqueous Solution of Sodium Chloride on Activated Carbon

Studies on Desalting of Sea Water by Freezing Method (Report 11)

Abstract

In the desalination process by butane freezing method, the recovery and remove of butanedissolved from the fresh water and waste brine are required for the economy of the process andthe conservation of environment. For the purpose of removing the butane dissolved by adsorpingon activated carbon, the adsorption experiments of n-butane dissolved in water and the aqueoussolution of sodium chloride at 20°C were carried out using six kinds of the commercial activatedcarbon. And the adsorption of benzoic acid in the aqueous solution was investigated similarly tocompare with that of n-butane.
The adsorption of n-butane decreased rapidly as the concentration decrease, and these isothermal data were given on a straight line with a steep gradient. Each activated carbon gave the individualadsorption isothermal line of n-butane, and the values of the constants, 1/n and k in the Freundlichequation on these lines were in the range of about 1.8 to 2.8 and about 13 mmol/g to 250 mmol/g, respectively. In the aqueous solution of sodium chloride, the adsorption of n-butane showed atendency to decrease furthermore.
From these experimental results, it was found that the removing the butane dissolved from thefresh water and waste brine by the only adsorption on activated carbon was not an efficient method in the desalination process.