Mass transfer accompanied by reversible chemical reactions in an inert porous sphere impregnated with a stagnant liquid

The absorption of gaseous components in porous particles impregnated with a reactive liquid phase has been studied theoretically. A model that describes this absorption process has been developed in which it is assumed that the porous particles act as a liquid support and are chemically inert. The model is based on the description of diffusion and reaction in a stagnant liquid sphere, and validated with several asymptotic analytical solutions. Both reactions instantaneous with respect to the mass transfer rate and reactions with finite reaction rates can be applied. For the instantaneous reactions an approximation for the dimensionless total accumulation is presented if the diffusivities of the absorbed gas and the other components are unequal. For reactions with finite rates different absorption regimes can be recognized in the time—flux diagrams. The simultaneous absorption of two gases which both react in the liquid-impregnated particles, e.g. H2S and CO2 in aqueous amine solutions, has also been studied. The results of the simulations of the simultaneous absorption of two gases indicate that selective removal of one of the gas components with porous particles impregnated with a reactive liquid seems feasible