The water uptake process in commercial type particles of zeolite 4A has been studied using a single-point MRI method. True proton density, T1, T2, and T*2 relaxation times were obtained with submillimetric resolution, overcoming the restrictions of short T*2 signals. The molecular mobility in nonequilibrium conditions has been characterized by relaxation time mapping. A clear reduction of the water sorption rate was observed by comparing MRI profiles of a loosely packed bed and gravimetric measurements of spread particles from the same sieved zeolite batch.
Copyright 1999 Academic Press.