Interpretation of water isotherm hysteresis for an activated charcoal using stochastic pore networks

Water vapor adsorption equilibria on activated carbons typically exhibit hysteresis. The size and shape of the hysteresis loop which separates the adsorption and desorption branches is a strong function of the pore size and interconnectivity of the pores. Neither conventional pore filling models nor statistical thermodynamics approaches provide a means for predicting the extent of hysteresis from only adsorption measurements. This work uses the Kelvin Equation in conjunction with the structural concept of a stochastic pore network to describe measured water isotherms on BPL carbon. Using a pore segment distribution function determined from the adsorption branch, it is shown that totally random assemblies underestimate the extent of hysteresis. It is possible, however, to closely fit the measured BPL-water hysteresis loop using a patchy heterogeneity in which a proportion of the larger pores are preferentially located on the exterior, mid-range pores are concentrated in a sub-surface layer and some large pores form shielded voids behind much smaller pores.