Adsorção de quinolina em sílica-alumina a partir de soluções com n-hexadecano por calorimétrica: estudo da cinética e da isoterma

Abstract

Environmental laws are becoming more stringent in relation to the amount of sulfur compounds eliminated into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels. Adsorption processes have distinguished themselves as a promising alternative. On adsorption studies, kinetics and isotherm tests using agitated baths are often used to evaluate the performance of the adsorbents at the desired removal level. Despite the fact that they are useful, these tests have some limitations. Under analysis, these systems involve high ratios between the initial solute concentration and the mass of the adsorbent. Alternatively, this research presents a strategy involving the technique of adsorption calorimetry to the study of kinetics and isotherm adsorption of quinoline in a commercial silica-alumina from solutions of n-hexadecane. Opposed to other techniques mentioned, adsorption calorimetry by use of a single test can use a smaller quantity of the sample allowing for the collection of the adsorption kinetics and a point on the adsorption isotherm. In addition, a modeling of the phenomena of heat transfer and mass involved during a test was proposed, aiming to create a calorimetric curve simulation. Effective diffusion coefficient values of the quinoline in silica-alumina in different conditions of initial concentration of quinoline in n-hexadecane, at the same temperature, were obtained from the adjustment from the model to calorimetric curve to the experimental data