Effective diffusivity of phenol in activated carbon

Abstract

The desorption of phenol from activated carbon in aqueous systems is studied here at various temperatures and adsorbed concentration levels in a stirred batch system. It is found that at sufficiently rapid stirring rates the desorption is controlled by intraparticle mass transfer. The effective diffusivity value is estimated to be 2.1 × 10^-10m²/s at 30°C and increases to 6.7 × 10^-10m²/s at 80°C, yielding tortuosity values that are essentially temperature independent.