New insights on energetic analysis of water adsorption isotherms of the Pelargonium graveolens: modeling, interpretations and pore sizes distribution based on statistical physics approach

Abstract

A new model for the adsorption isotherm of the Pelargonium graveolens leaves was established. The establishment of this model is based on the statistical physics formalism and some working hypotheses. In this model, six parameters affecting the adsorption process were adjusted, namely the number of molecules per site, the density of receptor sites, the three energetic parameters and the number of layers, and the model applied to calculate the specific area. These were determined by fitting the experimental adsorption isotherms at temperatures ranging from 303 to 323 K, and they were discussed and interpreted for their temperature dependence. After that, our model is used to calculate the adsorption energy distribution which implies that it is a physisorption, the internal energy which confirms that that the system evolves spontaneously and the distribution of the pore sizes, which presents that the geranium leaves samples studied with in the present work are macropores.