adsorbierer

An adsorber is a device used to remove one or more components from a gas or liquid by adsorption onto a solid surface. Adsorption is the adhesion of molecules to the surface of a porous solid, driven by physical forces (physisorption) or chemical interactions (chemisorption). The adsorbent is typically a porous solid with a high surface area, such as activated carbon, zeolites, silica gel, or alumina.

Configurations include fixed-bed columns in which the feed passes through a packed bed, moving-bed systems, fluidized beds, and rotating or swing adsorbers used for continuous operation and larger-scale separations. Performance is described by adsorption capacity, selectivity for the target species, and kinetics, which govern breakthrough behavior as the bed becomes saturated. Equilibrium isotherms, such as Langmuir or Freundlich models, relate adsorbate loading to concentration at a given temperature.

Regeneration restores the adsorbent’s capacity to remove adsorbates and is typically achieved by temperature swing adsorption (TSA), pressure swing adsorption (PSA), vacuum swing adsorption (VSA), or solvent washing, depending on the adsorbate and process economics. Common adsorbents include activated carbon for organics and moisture, zeolites for gas separations and drying, molecular sieves for very dry gases, and silica gel or alumina for drying polar compounds.

Applications span air purification (VOC and odor removal), gas drying in natural gas and petrochemical processing, hydrogen purification, and water treatment. Design considerations include bed depth, flow rate, pressure and temperature, and feed composition, which influence breakthrough behavior and regeneration needs. Safety and environmental aspects cover handling of hazardous organics, dust control, and proper management or regeneration of exhausted adsorbents.