skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Adsorption of radon and water vapor on commercial activated carbons

Journal Article · · Separation Science and Technology
 [1]; ; ;  [2]
  1. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
  2. Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States)

Equilibrium adsorption isotherms are reported for radon and water vapor on two commercial activated carbons: coconut shell Type PCB and hardwood Type BD. The isotherms of the water vapor were measured gravimetrically at 298 K. The isotherms of radon from dry nitrogen were obtained at 293, 298, and 308 K while the data for the mixture of radon and water vapor were measured at 298 K. The concentrations of radon in the gas and solid phases were measured simultaneously, once the adsorption equilibrium and the radioactive equilibrium between the radon and its daughter products were established. The shape of the isotherms was of Type III for the radon and Type V for the water vapor, according to Brunauer`s classification. The adsorption mechanism was similar for both the radon and the water vapor, being physical adsorption on the macropore surface area in the low pressure region and micropore filling near saturation pressure. The uptake capacity of radon decreased both with increasing temperature and relative humidity. The heat of adsorption data indicated that the PCB- and the BD-activated carbons provided a heterogeneous surface for radon adsorption. The equilibrium data for radon were correlated with a modified Freundlich equation.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
83266
Journal Information:
Separation Science and Technology, Vol. 30, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1995
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

New apparatus for measuring radon adsorption on solid adsorbents
Journal Article · Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research; (United States) · OSTI ID:83266

Desorption kinetics of N,N-dimethylformamide vapor from granular activated carbon and hydrophobic zeolite
Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1996 · Separation Science and Technology · OSTI ID:83266

Carbon tetrachloride adsorption on soils
Conference · Sun Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1995 · OSTI ID:83266