Abstract
In order to understand the breakthrough behaviour of iodine vapours on impregnated carbon systems, an active carbon, 80 CTC grade, $12{\times}30$ BSS particle size and $1104\;m^2/g$ surface area, was impregnated with metal salts such Cu, Cr, Ag, Mo and Zn, and an organic compound Triethylene diamine (TEDA) to prepare different carbon systems such as whetlerite, whetlerite/TEDA, whetlerite/KI/KOH and ASZMT. The prepared adsorbents along with active carbon were characterized for surface area and pore volume by $N_2$ adsorption at liquid nitrogen temperature. These carbon systems were compared for their CT (concentration X time) values at 12.73 to 53.05 cm/sec space velocities and 2 to 5 cm carbon column bed heights. The carbon column of 5.0 cm bed height and 1.0 cm diameter was found to be providing protection against iodine vapours up to 5.5 h at 3.712 mg/L iodine vapour concentration and 12.73 cm/sec space velocity. The study clearly indicated the adsorption capacities of carbon systems to be directly proportional to their surface area values. Dead layer with all the prepared carbon systems was found to be less than 2.0 cm indicating it to be minimum bed height to have protection against $I_2$ vapours. Effect of carbon bed height and flow rate was also studied. The active carbon showed maximum protection at all bed heights and flow rates in comparison to all other impregnated carbon systems, showing that only physical adsorption is responsible for the removal of iodine vapours.