A study on consolidated composite adsorbents for cooling application

In this study, consolidated composite adsorbents which are combinations of a highly porous activated carbon powder (Maxsorb III), expanded graphite (EG) and binder have been developed and characterized. Porous properties of the developed composite adsorbents have been investigated experimentally using Nitrogen adsorption. Adsorption equilibrium uptakes of ethanol onto composite adsorbents have been measured and correlated using suitable adsorption isotherm models. Thermal conductivity of the prepared adsorbents has also been measured using the NETZSCH LFA 457 MicroFlash system. Experimental results show that the adsorption equilibrium capacity of ethanol onto consolidated composite (70% Maxsorb III, 20% EG, 10% binder) is 0.89 kg kg(-1) which is about 74% of the maximum adsorption uptake of parent Maxsorb III/ethanol pair. This is clear evidence that the binder doesn't sacrifice the adsorption capacity of Maxsorb III of consolidated composites. It is also found that the thermal conductivity of the developed consolidated adsorbents increased to 11 times that of Maxsorb III powder. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.