Performance of a Multistage Fluidized Bed Adsorber Using Polymeric Adsorbent to Capture Volatile Organic Compounds

Fluidized bed adsorbers are particularly suited for treating large flow rates of dilute air streams such as volatile organic compounds (VOC) laden air from automotive and other industrial painting operations. This research investigates the effect of different operational parameters on the performance of a multistage fluidized bed adsorber for adsorption of a VOC (1,2,4-trimethylbenzene) on a mesoporous polymeric adsorbent (DOWEX OPTIPORE). A pilot-scale six-stage fluidized bed adsorber was tested to assess the effect of the adsorber operating conditions on VOC removal efficiency. The results showed that adsorbent feed rate, VOC inlet concentration, and air flow rate had the most effect on adsorber performance. On the other hand, the inlet stream humidity had negligible effect on the adsorber removal efficiency and enhanced particle fluidization due to reduced electrostatic charge buildup and associated particle agglomeration. The results help determine optimal conditions for operating a fluidized bed adsorber using this adsorbent.