Adsorption Course

Lesson 1 • Overview of Industrial Applications

Maps adsorption principles to real-world separation, purification, and catalysis uses. Motivates technical depth by connecting theory to professional practice.

Lesson 2 • Types of Adsorption Interactions

Differentiates physisorption and chemisorption by bond type, energy, and reversibility. Provides the classification framework used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Key Thermodynamic Concepts

Applies Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy to adsorption spontaneity. Connects thermodynamic favourability to observable adsorption behaviour.

Lesson 4 • Adsorbent and Adsorbate Terminology

Establishes precise vocabulary for adsorbent materials and adsorbate species. Ensures consistent language for experimental design and reporting.

Lesson 1 • Silica Gel and Alumina Adsorbents

Covers amorphous silica and alumina surface hydroxyl chemistry and moisture affinity. Positions these materials for polar adsorbate and desiccant applications.

Lesson 2 • Surface Area and Pore Characterisation Methods

Teaches BET analysis, mercury porosimetry, and electron microscopy for adsorbent characterisation. Connects measurement outputs to adsorption capacity predictions.

Lesson 3 • Metal-Organic Frameworks and Novel Materials

Introduces MOFs, biochar, and polymeric resins as emerging high-surface-area adsorbents. Highlights tunability advantages over conventional materials.

Lesson 4 • Activated Carbon Adsorbents

Examines pore structure, surface chemistry, and production routes of activated carbon. Establishes activated carbon as the baseline reference material for comparisons.

Lesson 1 • Advanced Isotherm Models

Covers Temkin, Sips, and Dubinin-Radushkevich models for complex systems. Guides model selection based on system heterogeneity and energy distribution.

Lesson 2 • Freundlich and BET Isotherm Models

Presents empirical Freundlich and multilayer BET models for heterogeneous and high-coverage systems. Compares applicability ranges across adsorbent-adsorbate pairs.

Lesson 3 • Langmuir Isotherm Model

Derives the Langmuir equation from monolayer, homogeneous surface assumptions. Teaches linearisation and parameter extraction from experimental data.

Lesson 4 • Concept of Adsorption Equilibrium

Defines equilibrium as dynamic balance between adsorption and desorption rates. Establishes the isotherm as the primary tool for equilibrium representation.

Lesson 1 • Mechanisms of Mass Transfer

Identifies external film diffusion, macropore diffusion, and micropore diffusion as sequential resistances. Establishes the rate-limiting step concept for system design.

Lesson 2 • Intraparticle Diffusion Models

Uses Weber-Morris and Bangham models to diagnose diffusion-controlled uptake stages. Links multi-stage plots to sequential mass transfer mechanisms.

Lesson 3 • External Mass Transfer Coefficients

Calculates film mass transfer coefficients using dimensionless correlations. Connects fluid velocity, particle size, and diffusivity to external resistance.

Lesson 4 • Pseudo-First and Second-Order Models

Applies Lagergren and Ho-McKay kinetic equations to batch adsorption data. Teaches parameter estimation and physical interpretation of rate constants.

Lesson 1 • Fixed-Bed Column Fundamentals

Describes the mass transfer zone, adsorption front, and breakthrough concept in packed beds. Provides the conceptual foundation for all column design calculations.

Lesson 2 • Thomas and Bohart-Adams Models

Fits Thomas and Bohart-Adams equations to breakthrough data for capacity and rate prediction. Guides selection between models based on system assumptions.

Lesson 3 • Yoon-Nelson and BDST Models

Applies Yoon-Nelson and Bed Depth Service Time models for rapid column sizing. Enables service time prediction at varying bed depths and flow rates.

Lesson 4 • Breakthrough Curve Analysis

Extracts column capacity, MTZ length, and bed utilisation from experimental breakthrough curves. Connects curve shape to mass transfer efficiency.

Lesson 1 • Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA)

Covers heating-driven desorption cycles, energy requirements, and adsorbent thermal stability. Identifies TSA suitability for strongly adsorbed species.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Adsorbent Regeneration

Explains how reversing equilibrium conditions drives desorption and restores active sites. Frames regeneration as the economic and operational core of cyclic adsorption.

Lesson 3 • Chemical and Solvent Regeneration

Uses pH adjustment, competing solvents, or chemical elution to displace chemisorbed species. Addresses solvent recovery and waste minimisation in liquid-phase systems.

Lesson 4 • Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA)

Describes rapid pressure cycling for gas-phase separations with low energy input. Analyses PSA cycle configurations including Skarstrom and vacuum swing variants.

Lesson 1 • Mathematical Modelling of Adsorption Systems

Formulates mass balance, energy balance, and rate equations for packed-bed systems. Establishes the governing PDE framework used in simulation software.

Lesson 2 • Multi-Objective Process Optimisation

Balances competing objectives such as capacity, energy, and throughput using optimisation algorithms. Introduces Pareto front analysis for trade-off visualisation.

Lesson 3 • Process Simulation Software Tools

Introduces commercial and open-source simulators for adsorption process modelling. Guides model setup, parameter input, and output interpretation.

Lesson 4 • Design of Experiments for Adsorption

Uses factorial and response surface designs to efficiently map adsorption performance space. Reduces experimental burden while maximising parameter coverage.

Lesson 1 • Water and Wastewater Treatment

Examines activated carbon and ion-exchange systems for drinking water and effluent polishing. Links regulatory purity targets to column design parameters.

Lesson 2 • Food and Pharmaceutical Purification

Covers chromatographic and adsorptive purification of sugars, amino acids, and APIs. Addresses hygiene standards and product quality requirements.

Lesson 3 • Air Separation and Gas Purification

Analyses PSA-based oxygen/nitrogen production and hydrogen purification systems. Connects adsorbent selection, cycle design, and purity targets to industrial specifications.

Lesson 4 • Carbon Capture and Gas Storage

Evaluates solid sorbent-based CO2 capture and methane storage technologies. Connects material selection and cycle design to capture efficiency targets.