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Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-08-26 Origin: Site
Activated alumina and molecular sieve are both solid materials with internal microporous structures, featuring high surface area and tunable pore sizes. They both exhibit strong adsorption capabilities and are widely used as adsorbents in industrial applications. Today, we'll focus on their differences in use.
Activated alumina is widely recognized as a general-purpose industrial desiccant. In fact, more than 80% of industrial compressed air drying systems rely on activated alumina. Under typical operating conditions, it can achieve a dew point of around -40°C. Molecular sieves are applied when deeper drying is necessary.
Activated alumina is suitable for drying the following gases:
Acetylene, cracked gas, coke oven gas, hydrogen, oxygen, air, ethane, hydrogen chloride, propane, ammonia, ethylene, hydrogen sulfide, propylene, argon, methane, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, natural gas, helium, nitrogen, chlorine, and others.
Molecular sieve are highly hydrophilic and are ideal for applications where the moisture content must be extremely low. In cases where activated alumina cannot meet the ultra-low dew point requirements, molecular sieve can continue to adsorb moisture to reach a dew point as low as -70°C.
Key Difference in Adsorption Conditions
When the gas contains a higher level of moisture, activated alumina shows better adsorption efficiency than molecular sieve. Under such conditions, molecular sieve are less effective due to their structure. However, when the moisture level is already very low, and needs to be reduced even further, molecular sieve outperform activated alumina.
In some cases, a combination of activated alumina and molecular sieve is ideal. This approach leverages the strengths of both materials: using activated alumina for bulk moisture removal and molecular sieves for final deep drying. This not only optimizes performance but also reduces cost.
Conclusion
Both activated alumina and molecular sieve have their own strengths and limitations in industrial applications. Understanding their differences allows for smarter material selection and maximized efficiency in use.
About Chemxin:
Guangzhou Chemxin has been specializing in the production of molecular sieve, activated alumina, and ceramic ball for over 23 years. Our factory covers 50,000 square meters and employs more than 250 staff members, including a dedicated R&D team committed to innovation and quality.
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