Insights into adsorbent tortuosity across aqueous adsorption systems--颗粒学报PARTICUOLOGY

Mudhoo, A., Otero, M., & Chu, K. H. (2024). Insights into adsorbent tortuosity across aqueous adsorption systems. Particuology, 88, 71-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.partic.2023.08.022

Insights into adsorbent tortuosity across aqueous adsorption systems

Ackmez Mudhoo ^a *, Marta Otero ^b, Khim Hoong Chu^c

a Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mauritius, Réduit 80837, Mauritius
b Department of Applied Chemistry and Physics, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana 24071 León, Spain
c Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia

10.1016/j.partic.2023.08.022

Volume 88, May 2024, Pages 71-88

Received 7 April 2023, Revised 27 July 2023, Accepted 28 August 2023, Available online 20 September 2023, Version of Record 6 November 2023.

E-mail: a.mudhoo@uom.ac.mu

Highlights

• Adsorbent tortuosity has been sporadically studied in aqueous-phase adsorptions.

• It seems inexact to give a single characteristic tortuosity value for an adsorbent.

• The analysis of adsorbent tortuosity in multicomponent aqueous systems is sparse.

Abstract

Pore network, pore connectivity, and the resulting effective adsorbate pore diffusivity within an adsorbent are critical physical considerations in mass transport modeling of aqueous adsorption. Tied to these three adsorbent features are the adsorbent tortuosity and tortuosity factor concepts. These concepts encompass the collective hindrance to intra-adsorbent adsorbate transport arising because of a disorderly adsorbent porous topology. It is crucial for materials scientists, chemists, chemical engineers, and water treatment specialists to understand the complex and variable connections among adsorbate chemistry, adsorbent chemistry, adsorbent porosity, pore shape, size, and tortuosity, pore wall effect, adsorbate-adsorbent interactions, and adsorbate-adsorbate interactions in competitively contaminated aqueous environments. Adsorbent tortuosity has been sporadically studied in aqueous adsorption models. Despite the small population of these studies, insightful observations and inferences have been reported. However, as it appears, no review has been published to compile, compare, and contrast these aspects. Hence, this review concisely brings up those observations and interpretations around adsorbent tortuosity for aqueous adsorption systems. The notion of an adsorbent's tortuosity being single-valued is argued to be imprecise. Finally, perspectives are aired on possible research and development directions for elucidating the dynamic attributes of adsorbent tortuosity and applying them in real-scale adsorption-oriented water purification. The data acquired by filling in these research gaps can enable the design of adsorbents more adapted for real-scale water purification.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Adsorbent; Tortuosity; Porosity; Pore diffusion models; Aqueous systems

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