Silica gel alumina provides moisture-proof adsorption solutions to effectively improve analytical results, making it the ideal material for natural gas dehydration or PSA separation of light hydrocarbons.
N2 adsorption isotherms demonstrate that silanol groups with stronger interactions with pyrrolidine than isolated and geminal silanol groups form stronger interactions, explaining why calorimetry yielded results similar to what had been estimated with 1H- and 29Si-NMR analysis.
Water-Repellent
Silica gel alumina’s ability to repel water makes it ideal as a moisture control desiccant, protecting adsorbents and catalysts from moisture degradation in applications where contamination could result in damage or failure. This material also serves as a versatile protective layer.
Chromatography employs silica-based stationary phases as a key tool in separating and purifying chemical compounds, with its water repellent properties providing more accurate and reproducible analytical results. Desuden, their non-absorbence of moisture makes this material an excellent choice for gas drying/purification processes that rely on eliminating excess moisture vapor for operational efficiency.
EuroAdsorbent Silica Gel WS (EA-SGA-WS), unlike regular porous silica gels which tend to lose their water-repellent properties under high humidity conditions, retains its water repellency properties even at elevated humidity levels, making it unique among commercially available silica gels in terms of its water repellent properties and versatility for both adsorption and catalysis applications. This water-repellent property sets it apart from competitors on the market while increasing versatility across these applications and applications.
Moisture-Resistant
Moisture can lead to issues like corrosion, mould and degradation; thus making a moisture control system essential. Desiccants absorb excess moisture away from sensitive equipment and products by adsorbing excess water molecules; activated alumina and silica gel are two popular desiccant choices with different characteristics suitable for different applications.
Silica gel alumina boasts exceptional moisture-repellent properties that even work against liquid water exposure, keeping its structural integrity and absorption capacity intact in demanding environments – making it the ideal choice when prolonged periods or high humidity are expected.
Due to its physical adsorption mechanism, which works effectively even in air and gas environments where other adsorbents fail, color-indicating indicators provide additional assurances that ensure delicate electronics and valuable products remain protected.
Pretreated silica gel adsorption capacity is determined by their surface chemistry, which can be evaluated using various characterization techniques such as N2 adsorption at 77 K, 29Si and 1H NMR spectroscopy and thermogravimetry measurements with cyclopentane and pyrrolidine as thermogravimetry (TG) techniques. As pretreatment temperature increases, isolated and vicinal silanol groups diminish. This could be related to dehydration during pretreatment as well as decreased energetically valuable adsorption sites.
High-Performance
Silica gel alumina’s versatility makes it suitable for many liquids and gases, particularly high humidity environments where traditional silica gel’s adsorption capacity diminishes rapidly. Because silica gel alumina physically absorbs moisture rather than through chemical adsorption processes such as those employed by other desiccants, its adsorption capacity remains more constant over time.
Silicoalumina aerogels are nanoporous materials characterized by low density, high porosity and surface area (500-700m2/g-1) [20]. Alumina-silica aerogels have also been reported to possess greater thermal stability at temperatures exceeding 500 degC than pure silica aerogels [21, 22].
Structure can be identified using various standardized techniques, including N2 adsorption at 77 K and mercury porosimetry. Their surface chemistry is dictated by silanol groups which can be measured via time-consuming 29Si-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy or infrared (IR) spectroscopy.
Investigation of alumina-silica-based aerogels’ response to changes in processing conditions has been undertaken through studying their response to changing variables like pH of hydrosol, solids content in hydrosol and time before base exchange. Results revealed that lower pHs favor increased densities with decreased surface areas while increasing solids content resulted in decreased densities but maintained surface areas. Additionally, increasing solids content had no significant effect on densities, but did reduce density despite unchanged surface areas.
Environmentally Friendly
Silica gel’s versatility makes it invaluable in multiple sectors, from refining processes to protecting moisture-sensitive electronics. Desuden, its water repellence allows it to reduce interference from moisture during chromatography processes for more accurate results.
activated alumina cannot absorb more moisture than calcium carbonate; therefore, it’s an ideal choice for applications where humidity levels must remain extremely low. Calcium carbonate can remove moisture from compressed air to decrease energy costs; protect pneumatic equipment from moisture-related problems while increasing life and performance; extend food shelf life by minimizing food waste; or ensure quality finished products in moisture-sensitive chemical processes.
Silica gel provides several distinct advantages. Not only is it highly resistant to chemicals, but its regeneration rate can be much faster than activated alumina, making it more energy-efficient.
Silica gel’s adsorption capacity is easily measured visually, providing quick and straightforward measurement of saturation level. However, exact moisture adsorption amounts can differ depending on how a desiccant is prepared; pretreatment temperature has been shown to alter its surface structure significantly and thus influence moisture absorption rates. N2-adsorption isotherms, 29Si and 1H NMR spectroscopy as well as TGA measurements and calorimetric adsorption calorimetry with cyclopentane and pyrrolidine were employed to investigate changes in surface chemistry resulting from pretreatment temperature changes – results showed number and distribution of silanol groups being altered significantly by pretreatment temperature alone!