Sorbents: Properties, Materials and Applications
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Editors: Thomas P. Willis
Book Description:
Sorbents are insoluble materials or mixtures of materials used to recover liquids through the
mechanism of absorption, or adsorption, or both. Absorbents are materials that pick up and retain
liquid distributed throughout its molecular structure causing the solid to swell. The absorbent must be
at least 70 percent insoluble in excess fluid. Adsorbents are insoluble materials that are coated by a
liquid on its surface, including pores and capillaries, without the solid swelling more than 50 percent
in excess liquid. To be useful in combating oil spills, sorbents need to be both oleophilic (oil-attracting)
and hydrophobic (water-repellent). Although they may be used as the sole cleanup method in small
spills, sorbents are most often used to remove final traces of oil, or in areas that cannot be reached by
skimmers. Any oil that is removed from sorbent materials must also be properly disposed of or
recycled. This new book gathers the latest research in this field from around the world.
Table of Contents:
Preface
The Use of Sorbents for the Analysis of Emerging Pollutants in Indoor Air;pp. 1-69
(Carmen Garcia-Jares, Ruth Barro, Jorge Regueiro, María Llomparta, Departamento de Quimica
Analitica, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Instituto de Investigacion y Analisis Alimentarios, Universidad
de Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and others)
Use of Sorbents in Air Quality Control Systems;pp. 71-108
(E.Gallego, F.J. Roca, J.F. Perales, X.Guardino, Laboratori del Centre de Medi Ambient. Universitat
Politècnica de Catalunya (LCMA-UPC), Barcelona, Spain and others)
Nanocomposites (Salt inside Porous Matrix) for Metanol Sorption: Design of Phase Composition and
Sorption Properties, Practical Applications;pp. 109-138
(Larisa G. Gordeeva, Yuriy I. Aristov, Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Novosibirsk, Russia)
A Novel Use of Sorbents for Photochemical Studies: Photo-Solid-Phase Microextraction (PhotoSPME);pp. 139-163
(Lucía Sánchez-Prado, María Llompart, María Fernández-Álvarez, Carmen García-Jares, Marta Lores,
Departamento de Química Analítica, Nutrición y Bromatología, Facultad de Química, Instituto de
Investigación y Análisis Alimentario, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
Dye Wastewaters, Alternative Physiochemical Treatment Reagent;pp. 165-199
(F.N Emengo, J.K. Nduka, C.N. Anodebe P.A.C Okoye, Pure & Industrial Chemistry Department,
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria)
Utilization of Phlogopite-Rich Mine Tailings in Abatement of Phosphorus Loading to Watercourses;pp.
201-216
(Salla Venäläinen, University of Helsinki, Finland)
Nanostructural Carbon Sorbents for Different Functional Application;pp. 217-284
(Z.A. Mansurov, M.K. Gilmanov, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan, and
others)
Calixarene based sorbents for the extraction of ions and neutral molecules;pp. 285-333
(Mustafa Yilmaz, Shahabuddin Memon, Department of Chemistry, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
and others)
The Magnetic Sorbents Used for Detoxification of Blood;pp. 335-340
(N.P. Glukhoedov et al., Research Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Hetero-organic
Compounds, Russia, and others)
Surface Controlled Reaction Kinetics on Calcium-Based Sorbents;pp. 341-356
(Jinsheng Wang, CANMET Energy Technology Centre and Siauw H. Ng, National Centre for
Upgrading Technology, Canada)*
Non-conventional Sorbents for the dye removal from waters: Mechanism and selected applications;pp.
357-381
(Pavel Janos,University of J.E. Purky, Czech Republic)
Index
Series:
Environmental Science, Engineering and Technology
Binding: Hardcover
Pub. Date: 2009 4th Quarter
Pages: 405 pp.
ISBN: 978-1-60741-851-1
Status: AV
In: Sorbents: Properties, Materials and Applications ISBN: 978-1-60741-851-1
Editor: Thomas P. Willis © 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Chapter 2
USE OF SORBENTS IN AIR QUALITY
CONTROL SYSTEMS
E.Gallego*1, F.J. Roca1, J.F. Perales1 and X.Guardino†2
Laboratori del Centre de Medi Ambient.
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (LCMA-UPC).
Avda. Diagonal, 647. E-08028 Barcelona
2 Centro Nacional de Condiciones de Trabajo. INSHT.
Dulcet 2-10. E 08034 Barcelona
1
ABSTRACT
Sorbent based methods have been successfully used in the collection of air samples to
determine air quality. The complexity of the occurrence in air samples of several
compounds in terms of composition (polar to non-polar compounds, very volatile to
semi-volatile compounds) and abundance (below detection limit to over detector
saturation limit) are topics that have to be taken into account when analytical methods
are developed, especially in terms of sorbent choosing.
An important amount of compounds found in air (eg. volatile organic compounds
(VOC), volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAH)) generate odour problems, have associated R-phrases, are ozone precursors or
have been declared carcinogens. The knowledge of their concentrations is very
important to define air quality, not only in terms of odour nuisance but also in terms of
toxicity. Therefore, emission and immission controls are important in air quality
determination, both outdoors and indoors.
Activated charcoal, Tenax TA, XAD-2, Carbotrap, Carbopack, Carbosieve and
Carboxen 569 are found among the different types of sorbents available. They have
variable selectivity towards the different types of compounds present in air. Hence, a
good combination of different sorbents may allow the determination of a wide range of
compounds in air samples. The idoneity, the hydrophobicity and the mesh size of the
adsorbent particles together with the air flow, the air volume sampled, the ambient
temperature and humidity would determine the adsorption efficiency of a compound.
Several techniques are available for desorbing the compounds adsorbed, being the most
relevant the ones based on thermal desorption and solvent extractions. When developing
an analytical methodology, several quality criteria have to be taken into account
focusing in the selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, breakthrough and accuracy of
the method.
Comparatives between different types of sorbents (Tenax TA, self-made multi-bed
tubes (Carbotrap, Carbopack X and Carboxen-569) and Radiello) arè done to determine
the most reliable sorbent for the determination of concrete compounds present both in
urban, rural and indoor air.
INTRODUCTION
Environmental analysis means in many cases the analysis of pollutants in trace and
ultra-trace quantities (Ras 2008). Hence, sensitive, selective, fast and reliable
methodologies are needed to detect pollutants in ambient air, and concentration
techniques have often to be applied prior to the analysis (Camel & Caude 1995, Begerow
et al. 1996, Dewulf & Van Langenhove 1999, Uhde 1999, Harper 2000, Dettmer &
Engewald 2002, Desauziers 2004, Michulec et al. 2005, Demeestere et al. 2007, Ulman &
Chilmonczyk 2007). When an analytical methodology is developed to study air pollution
several terms have to be taken into account such as the pollutant state (gaseous or
particulate matter), compound type or family, compound concentration, period of
measurement (short- or long-term, e.g. instantaneous, 24-hour, monthly or yearly
concentrations), the measurement site (in situ or in the laboratory) and the principal aim
of the study (qualitative, estimation of a emission, punctual or long-term concentrations,
main, minor or trace components study) (Michuelec et al. 2005). Thus, the application of
solid sorbents to pollution and air quality control is an essential parameter to determine
exactly the type and kind of compounds that are present in the atmosphere (Dettmer &
Engewald 2003). The sampling enriches the analytes in the adsorbent, removing
selectively form the matrix the target compounds by adsorption or reaction with the
sorbent surface (Harper 2000). Target compounds are further analyzed using generally
chromatographic techniques (Camel & Caude, 1995), as the single component analysis of
the constituents of the atmosphere is preferred to the sum of pollutants in the case of
volatile organic compounds (VOC) (Dettmer & Engewald 2002, Ras 2008). The interest
* e-mail:
† e-mail:
Lcma.Info@upc.edu
cnctinsht@mtin.es
72 E.Gallego, F.J. Roca, J.F. Perales et al.
in determining atmospheric pollutants has increased over the last several decades, as
several act as precursors of photochemical smog formation, others represent a threat to
human health (irritation of mucous membranes, psychological stress and long-term toxic
reactions) (ECA-IAQ 1997, Desauziers 2004, Hutter et al. 2006, Liang and Liao 2007,
Ulman & Chimonczyk 2007) and comfort, as they are related to bad odors (Wolkolff and
Nielsen 2001, Zuraimi et al. 2006). In the same way, some of them contribute to global
change, by depleting the stratospheric ozone layer and by the radiative forcing of the
earth (Dewulf & Van Langenhove 1999, Michulec et al. 2005). The complexity of
pollutants occurrence in the atmosphere, in terms of composition (polar to non-polar
compounds, very volatile and semi- volatile compounds) and abundance (below detection
limit (ppbv to pptv) to over detectors saturation limit), points out the necessity to develop
versatile analytical methods (Desauziers 2004, Ribes et al. 2007).
Sorbent based methods have been successfully used in the collection of air samples to
determine air quality (Uchiyama et al. 1999, Dettmer & Engewald 2003, Donaldson et al.
2003, Kuntasal et al. 2005, Ribes et al. 2007, Ras 2008). However, several precautions
should be taken to avoid negative effects derived from factors such as flow rate sampling,
sample concentration, ambient humidity and temperature, breakthrough and analyte
stability (Wu et al. 2004). Sorbents have variable selectivity towards different types of
compounds; hence, according to the characteristics of the sampled components, different
combinations of sorbents are utilized in single-bed or multi-bed arrangements
(combination of various sorbents) to achieve the determination of a wide range of target
trace compounds present in air samples (Camel & Caude 1995, Matisová & Škrabáková
1995, Dewulf & Van Langenhove 1999, Dettmer et al. 2000, Donaldson et al. 2003,
Demeestere et al. 2007, Barro et al. 2009). However, collection efficiency will vary
depending on several variables, such as nature and strength of the adsorptive forces,
ambient air concentrations and sampling environmental conditions (Harper 1993).
Different air sampling strategies have been described in the literature (Godish 1997,
D¹browski 2001, Kim et al. 2004), however, sorbent based methods permit a high
sampling versatility (compatible with both apolar and semi-volatile compounds, active
and passive sampling), high concentration power, easy portability, low cost and easy
storage of sorbent tubes (Volden et al. 2005, Prado et al. 2006, Ribes et al. 2007).