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Membrane‐based absorption of VOCs from a gas stream

1996; Wiley; Volume: 42; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/aic.690421127

1547-5905

Tarun K. Poddar, S. Majumdar, Kamalesh K. Sirkar,

Cyclone Separators and Fluid Dynamics

Abstract A regenerative absorption‐based process was developed for removing VOCs from N 2 in an inert, nonvolatile, organic liquid flowing in compact hollow‐fiber devices. The process eliminates flooding, loading, and entrainment, and can replace activated carbon adsorption. Two types of holow‐fiber membranes were studied: one with a microporous wall and the other with a highly VOC‐permeable nonporous coating on the outer surface of a microporous hollow fiber. Criteria for nondispersive operation were developed for each case. Experiments were conducted for the absorption of acetone, methylene chloride, toluene, and methanol from the respective VOC‐N 2 gas mixture using two absorbents: silicone oil and mineral oil. The highest mass‐transfer coefficient was obtained for toluene followed by methylene chloride, acetone, and methanol. Different resistances making up the overall resistance in VOC absorption were characterized comprehensively to develop a predictive capability and compare the absorption performances of two types of fibers and the two absorbents. The absorbent‐filled porous membrane contributed significantly to the total mass‐transfer resistance. Numerical simulations of governing equations based on a cell model agree well with experimental results.