The dynamic ethylene adsorption on carbon xerogels as a three-way game between porosity, surface chemistry and humidity

Novel carbon xerogels doped with heteroatoms (O, N, S) were prepared by sol-gel polymerization of resorcinol with heterocyclic aldehydes containing them. All doped materials presented higher O-contents than the reference material prepared with formaldehyde, and significant S- or N-loadings in the corresponding samples. Carbon xerogels were micro-mesoporous and N-doping favoured the formation of mesopores. Their efficiency in the dynamic ethylene adsorption is presented as an interplay between porosity, surface chemistry and humidity. The surface hydrophilicity was also studied by water adsorption assays, a quick adsorption being favoured in microporous samples with hydrophilic O-groups. Breakthrough curves for ethylene adsorption were recorded in both dry and humid conditions and analysed according to the mass transference zone (MTZ). The material behaviour was correlated with the physicochemical properties, elucitating the mechanism of the simultaneous water/ethylene adsorption. The adsorption capacity depended linearly on the microporous characteristics of samples; however, MTZ parameters (efficiency of the column) varied linearly with the electronegativity of the dopant element. Both doping and humidity in the stream hindered the ethylene adsorption kinetic and capacity (up to 33% for N-doped material under humidity compared to undoped-material under dry conditions), due to reduced adsorbate-adsorbent interactions and the accessibility into narrow pores.