DFOOD PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

ADSORPTION AND
ABSORPTION

Dr. Widya Rukmi P

DWIDYA DWI RUKMI PUTRI

SORPTION
Sorptionis a physical and chemical
process by which one substance become
attached to another. Specific cases of
sorption are treated in the following :
Adsorption : the physical adherence or
bonding of ions and molecules onto the surface
of another phase
Absorption : the incorporation of a substance
in one state into another of a different state
(e.g., liquid being absorbed by a solid or gases
being absorbed by a liquid)

ADSORPTION VS
ABSORPTION
ADSORPTION

ABSORPTION

Adsorption is a
physical process that
involves the transfer
of solutes from the
liquid phase to the
surface of a solid
matrix
accumulation /
adhesion of molecules
at the surface of a
solid material (usually
activated carbon) in
contact with an air or
water phase

In absorption the
solute penetrates into
the porous structure of
the solid matrix
dissolution of
molecules within a
phase, e.g., within an
organic phase in
contact with an air or
water phase

ADSORPTION VS
ABSORPTION
Adsorbate :
A substance that becomes
adsorbed at the interface
or into the interfacial layer
of another material

Adsorbent :
The substrate material
onto which a substance is
adsorbed

Absorbate:
a substance that become
absorbed into another
material

Absorbent :
The substrate into which a
substance is absorbed

ADSORPTION
Adsorption of a solute molecule from a liquid
solution to the surface of a solid matrix
depends on the following
The size, shape and molecular weight of
solute
Electrostatic charge on the surface of solute
molecule and the site of the solid matrix
where adsorption takes place
Shape of the binding site of the solid matrix
Polarity of the solute molecule and the
binding site of the solid matrix

ADSORPTION
MECHANISM
The following physical binding and
physical interactions may be
involved in the adsorption process :
Partitioning
Van der Waals forces
Electrostantic interactions
Hydrogen bonding
Hydrophobic interactions

ADSORPTON PHENOMENON
The surface of a solid shows a strong affinity
for molecules that come into contact with it.
Certain solid materials concentrate specific
substances from a solution onto their surfaces.

Adsorption
Phenomenon

Physical adsorption (physisorption):

Physical attractive forces
(van der Waals forces)
e.g. Carbon ads, Activated alumina

Chemical adsorption
(chemisorption): the adsorbed
molecules are held to the surface by
covalent forces.
(little application in water waste
treatment)

Adsorbents in Natural &

Engineered Systems
Natural Systems
Sediments
Soils
Engineered Systems
Activated carbon
Metal oxides (iron and aluminum as
coagulants)
Ion exchange resins
Biosolids

Adsorption application
WATER & WASTE WATER
TREATMENTS
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange is an adsorption
phenomenon where the
mechanism of adsorption is
electrostatic. Electrostatic
forces hold ions to charged
functional groups on the surface
of the ion exchange resin. The
adsorbed ions replace ions that
are on the resin surface on a 1:1
charge basis.

Applications of ion exchange in water &

wastewater
Ca,

Mg (hardness removal) exchange with Na or H.

Fe, Mn removal from groundwater.

Recovery of valuable waste products Ag, Au, U
Demineralization (exchange all cations for H all
anions for OH)
of NO3, (types)
NH4, PO4 (nutrient removal).
Removal
Ion Exchangers
Natural: Proteins, Soils, Lignin, Coal, Metal
oxides, Aluminosilicates (zeolites)
(NaOAl2O3.4SiO2).
Synthetic zeolite gels and most common
-polymeric resins (macroreticular, large

Resin

ABSORPTION
Absorptionis a physical or chemical phenomenon
or process in which atoms, molecules or ions enter
some bulk phase gas, liquid or solid material.
Molecules undergoing absorption are taken up by
the volume, not by the surface.
Physical absorption or non-reactive absorption is
made between two phases of matter: a liquid
absorbs a gas, or a solid absorbs a liquid.
Chemical absorption or reactive absorption is a
chemical reaction between the absorbed and the
absorbing substances. Sometimes it combines with
physical absorption.

PHYSICAL ABSORPTION
- When a liquid solvent
absorbs a gas mixture or part
of it, a mass of gas moves
into the liquid. For example,
water may absorb oxygen
from the air.
- This type of absorption
depends on the solubility of
gases, the pressure and the
temperature. The rate and
amount of absorption also
depend on the surface area
of the interface and its
duration in time.

PHYSICAL ABSORPTION
- When a solid absorbs a liquid mixture or
part of it, a mass of liquid moves into the
solid. Absorption is essentially a molecule
attaching themselves to a substance and
will not be attracted from other molecules.

FOOD ABSORPTION IN THE

BODY

WATER ACTIVITY AND

MOISTURE SORPTION
ISOTERM

MOISTURE CONTENT AND WATER

ACTIVITY
Moisture content :
It is a measurements of the total water
contained in a food
It is usually expressed as a percentage of
the total weight
Water activity :
Water has different levels of binding and
thus activity or availability in a food sample
Water activity (aw) helps to explain the
relationship between perishability and
moisture content

MOISTURE SORPTION
ISOTERM

The relationship between water activity

and moisture content at a given
temperature is called the moisture
sorption isotherm.
This relationship is complex and unique
for each product due to different
interactions (colligative, capillary, and
surface effects) between the water and
the solid components at different
moisture contents
Knowledge of the sorption properties of
foods is of great importance in food
dehydration, especially in the
quantitative approach to the prediction

MOISTURE SORPTION
ISOTERM

- Sorption isotherms can be generated

from an adsorption process or a
desorption process; the difference
between these curves is defined as
hysteresis.
- Water adsorption by food products is a
process in which water molecules
progressively and reversibly mix together
with food solids via chemisorption,
physical adsorption, and multilayer
condensation.

MOISTURE SORPTION
ISOTERM

MOISTURE SORPTION
ISOTERM
An isotherm can
be typically
divided into three regions;
1. The water in region A represents
strongly bound water, and the
enthalpy of vaporization is
considerably higher than the one
of pure water. The bound water
includes structural water (Hbonded water) and monolayer
water, which is sorbed by the
hydrophilic and polar groups of
food components
(polysaccharides, proteins, etc.).
Bound water is unfreezable and it

MOISTURE SORPTION
ISOTERM

2. In region B, water molecules bind less

firmly than in the first zone, they usually
present in small capillaries. The
vaporization enthalpy is slightly higher
than the one of pure water. This class of
constituent water can be looked upon as
the continuous transition from bound to
free water.

MOISTURE SORPTION
ISOTERM

2. The properties of water in region C are

similar to those of the free water that is
held in voids, large capillaries, crevices;
and the water in this region loosely binds
to food materials