Dynamics of Water Adsorption from Butanol–Water Vapor in a Biosorbent Packed Column

Drying is essential in the production of biobutanol. In this work, the dynamics of water adsorption from butanol-water vapor mixtures in a fixed bed column were investigated. The biosorbent used in this system was derived from a cellulosic material oat hull. Water adsorption breakthrough curves obtained from the biosorbent packed column were simulated by the Bohart-Adams model and Klinkenberg model. The Klinkenberg model provided a better simulation of the experimental data in comparison with the Bohart-Adams model. The mass transfer coefficient and mass transfer resistances were investigated from the modeling results. The results indicated that the rate of water adsorption was controlled by internal mass transfer resistance. The water adsorption on the biosorbent was visualized with the aid of microscope imaging. This study reveals that water saturated oat hull based biosorbent was regenerated and reused successfully.