Description

The SORBTEST is a fully instrumented pilot unit designed to investigate adsorption and desorption processes in both gas and liquid phases. The system enables the performance of different adsorbent materials to be evaluated under accurately controlled and representative operating conditions. The adsorbent, such as activated carbon, zeolite, molecular sieve or silica gel, is loaded into a dedicated adsorber. Gas or liquid feeds containing the species to be adsorbed are introduced as adsorbate streams at controlled flow rate, pressure, temperature and composition. During the adsorption phase, the feed passes through the adsorbent bed and the target species are progressively retained by the adsorbent. Continuous monitoring and analysis of the reactor outlet allow breakthrough curves, adsorption capacity, selectivity and dynamic performance to be determined. During the desorption/regeneration phase, a gas or liquid desorbent is introduced to release the previously adsorbed species and restore the adsorption capacity of the material. The released species, or desorbate, can then be analysed and quantified. The flexible configuration of the SORBTEST allows different adsorbates, adsorbents, desorbents and operating conditions to be investigated on the same platform, making it particularly suitable for adsorbent screening, process development, regeneration studies and adsorption cycle optimization.