Dynamic adsorption of radon on activated carbon

The adsorption of 222Rn from air onto activated carbon was studied over the range 0 to 550C. A sharp pulse of radon was injected into an air stream that flowed through a bed of activated carbon. The radon concentration in the exit from the column was continuously monitored using a zinc sulfide α-scintillation flow cell. Elution curves were analyzed to determine the dynamic adsorption coefficient and the number of theoretical stages. Five types of activated carbon were tested and the dynamic adsorption coefficient was found to increase linearly with surface area in the range 1000 to 1300 m2g-1. The adsorptive capacity of activated carbon was reduced by up to 30% if the entering gas was saturated with water vapor and the bed was initially dry. If the bed was allowed to equilibrate with saturated air, the adsorptive capacity was too low to be of practical use. The minimum height equivalent to a theoretical stage (HETS) was about four times the particle diameter and occurred at superficial velocities within the range 0.002 to 0.02 m s-1. For superficial velocities above 0.05 m s-1, the HETS was determined by the rate of mass transfer. The application of these results to the design of activated carbon systems for radon retention is discussed.