This book provides a single comprehensive source of knowledge for all commercial and new sorbent materials. It presents the fundamental principles of their synthesis, their adsorption properties, and their present, emerging and potential applications for separation and purification. Adsorption thoroughly covers the explosion in the development of new nanoporous materials — the adsorptive properties of many of which have yet to be explored. The text comes at a time when advances in molecular simulation and desktop computing capabilities are driving the understanding and development of exciting new sorbent designs.

From the Preface: “Since the invention of synthetic zeolites in 1959, innovations in sorbent development and adsorption process cycles have made adsorption a key separations tool in the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. In all future energy and environmental technologies, adsorption will either play a key or a limiting role. Some examples are hydrogen storage and CO removal...for fuel cell technology, desulfurization of transportation fuels, and technologies for meeting higher standards of air and water pollutants. These needs cannot be fulfilled by current commercial sorbents...”

Target Audience: Research and laboratory personnel — and upper level students — who are concerned with the principles and applications of sorbent materials.

Table of Contents:

Introductory Remarks

Fundamental Factors for Designing Adsorbent

Sorbent Selection: Equilibrium Isotherms, Diffusion, Cyclic Processes, and Sorbent Selection Criteria

Pore Size Distribution

Activated Carbon

Silica Gel, MCM, and Activated Alumina

Zeolites and Molecular Sieves

Pi-Complexation Sorbents and Applications

Carbon Nanotubes, Pillared Clays, and Polymeric Resins

Sorbents for Applications

Index