Feasibility of regenerative adsorption of a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC-134a) using activated carbon fiber studied by the gaseous flow method.

The adsorption and desorption behavior of the refrigerant HFC-134a on pitch-based activated carbon fibers (ACFs) with various Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface areas was investigated by the flow method. Fixed-bed adsorption experiments performed at 20, 5, -15, -20, and -25 °C showed that the use of lower temperatures resulted in an increase in the adsorption capacity of the ACF. In particular, the complete adsorption time was dramatically increased at -25 °C.