Effect of acoustic field on CO2 desorption in a fluidized bed of fine activated carbon

Adsorption using solid sorbents has the potential to complement or replace current absorption technol-ogy, because of its low energy requirements. Among the commercially available adsorbent materials,attention is focused on activated carbons because they are easily regenerable by reason of their low heatof adsorption. These sorbents are generally available in the form of fine powders. Sound-assisted fluidiza-tion can process large amounts of fine powders, promoting and enhancing CO2capture on fine sorbents,because it maximizes gas-solid contact. Temperature swing adsorption (TSA), consisting of inducing sor-bent regeneration and CO2recovery by appropriate temperature increase and gas purge, is one of the mostpromising techniques. This study investigates the CO2desorption process by TSA in a sound-assisted flu-idized bed of fine activated carbon. Desorption tests were performed under ordinary and sound-assistedfluidization conditions to assess the capability of sound to promote and enhance the desorption efficiencyin terms of CO2recovery, CO2purity, and desorption time. The results show that the application of soundresults in higher desorption rates, CO2recovery and purity. Regular and stable desorption profiles canbe obtained under sound-assisted fluidization conditions. This stability makes it possible to successfullyrealize a cyclic adsorption/desorption process.