ABSTRACT
The separation and puri”cation of ˜uid mixtures (gas or liquid) by adsorption is a major unit operation in the chemical, petrochemical, environmental, pharmaceutical, and electronic gas industries. A list of the key commercial applications of this technology is given in Table 7.1.[1] The phenomenal growth in the development of this technology is demonstrated by Figure 7.1, which shows a year-by-year tally of U.S. patents issued between 1980 and 2000 on ”ve different topics of adsorption.[1] The total number of patents is overwhelming.
