Desorption of toluene from modified clays using supercritical carbon dioxide

The main objective of this work is to study the regeneration capacity of modified clays using supercritical fluid. These modified clays are used as organic compound adsorvents. The experimental step was done using a packed column with the clay contaminated by toluene. The results obtained showed the influence of the density of the supercritical CO2 and of the organic modifier in the desorption process. These data were modeled with first- and second-order models. Better results were obtained using the second-order model. This study makes possible the scale-up of the desorption process for regeneration of solid matrices using supercritical fluids.