Modeling of Breakthrough Curves for Adsorption of Propane, n-Butane, and Iso-Butane Mixture on 5A Molecular Sieve Zeolite

Breakthrough curves for the adsorption of propane, n-butane, and iso-butane mixture on 5A molecular sieve zeolite were obtained experimentally and theoretically at a constant temperature of 301 K. The equilibrium model and linear driving force model were used to predict the experimental breakthrough curves for this multicomponent mixture. The equilibrium model gave a satisfactory fit for experimental data. The model equations were solved by a numerical method based on backward finite difference with a fixed griding technique. The effects of feed flow rate (0.552–3.496 l/min), feed concentration (60.72–141.68 mmol/l), and adsorbates composition (58.75–75.32%) on these breakthrough curves were examined.