Activated carbon fiber cloth adsorber with cryogenic condensation to capture and recover MEK and toluene from gas streams
- Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States). Dept. of Civil Engineering
The Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAAs) of 1990 mandate reductions in emissions of toxic volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) to the atmosphere. These regulations have stimulated interest in developing new technologies to remove, capture, and recover TVOCs from air for reuse. A laboratory-scale activated carbon fiber cloth (ACFC)-cryogenic air quality control device was developed and operated to remove, capture, and recover methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and toluene from gas streams. The system was tested with gas streams at room temperature, ambient pressure, and TVOC concentrations near 1000 ppmv in air. The relative humidity of the inlet gas stream was controlled to either 0 or 90%. The fixed bed adsorber contained 19.2 g of ACFC with a cross-sectional area of 16 cm2. The superficial gas velocity through the bed was 5.2 cm/sec, with a pressure drop near 23 cm H{sub 2}O. Breakthrough times for MEK were between 5.5 and 6.0 hr for dry inlet gas streams. Breakthrough times decreased by 36% at 90% RH. Comparable results were obtained for tests with toluene. Once the ACFC was saturated, it was regenerated in a low flow rate stream of N{sub 2} using electrothermal desorption. The gas stream emitted from the fixed bed during regeneration had TVOC concentrations near the saturation values for the compounds of interest. The TVOCs were then recovered for reuse with a cryogenic condenser between 203 and 233 K. Laboratory-scale tests demonstrate that the ACFC-cryogenic condensation system can operate consistently at low inlet TVOC concentrations generated over 18 hr periods. Results from the laboratory-scale system indicate this new device allows for successful removal, capture, and recovery of TVOCs such as MEK and toluene from simulated industrial gas streams, at low and high relative humidity conditions. No contamination of TVOC in the adsorption-regeneration-recovery process was detected by mass spectrometry.
- OSTI ID:
- 682219
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980632--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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