Radon dynamic adsorption coefficients of two activated charcoals at different temperatures in nitrogen environment

Appl Radiat Isot. 2023 Jan:191:110564. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110564. Epub 2022 Nov 14.

Abstract

Profiting from their intrinsic low radioactivity, CarboACT and Saratech, the two kinds of activated charcoal, are commonly adopted in radon removal and radon enrichment process related to modern rare-event search experiments. For supporting CDEX collaboration on radon issue, a flow-through experimental system was established and radon dynamic adsorption coefficients (kα) of CarboACT and Saratech were systematically measured in N2 condition within the temperature range of -85 °C∼200 °C. The experimental results show that radon dynamic adsorption coefficients of CarboACT and Saratech increase exponentially with the decrease of temperature, and different elution curves of them were observed. Extrapolated to 77K, the kα-values of CarboACT and Saratech at liquid nitrogen temperature could be firstly estimated at 1.2 × 1013 (L/g) and 9.5 × 1011 (L/g), respectively. The overall image of the adsorption capacities of these two activated charcoals is valuable for rare-event search studies related to radon issue.

Keywords: Activated charcoal; Dynamic adsorption coefficient; Radon; Rare-event search study; Temperature dependence.

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Charcoal*
  • Nitrogen
  • Radon*
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Charcoal
  • Nitrogen
  • Radon