Methane adsorption on activated carbon

Methane storage in adsorbed form is a promising way to effectively and safely store fuel for vehicular transportation or for any other potential application. In a solid adsorbent, nanometer wide pores can trap methane by van der Waals forces as high density fluid at low pressure and room temperature. This provides the suitable technology to replace bulky and expensive cylindrical compressed natural gas tanks. Activated carbons with large surface area and high porosity are particularly suitable for methane storage applications at moderate pressures. We study and test the main thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of methane adsorption and desorption on activated carbon.