Mass transfer in carbon molecular sieves—an interpretation of Langmuir kinetics

Abstract In this paper, the Langmuir kinetics rate expression, which has gained currency in modeling O 2 /N 2 mass transfer in carbon molecular sieve adsorbents, is derived, starting from “surface barrier” model of diffusion under a chemical potential gradient; this provides a physical basis for the use of mass-action rate laws to describe diffusion processes.