Desiccants & Adsorbents

A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains a state of dryness desiccation in its vicinity.

An adsorbent material is one that has the ability to extract
certain substances from gases, liquids, or solids by causing them to adhere to its surface without changing the physical properties of the adsorbent.

Brownell offers a range of desiccants & adsorbents which are capable of reducing potentially damaging moisture levels in products and processes to a safe or acceptable level and to maintain those levels. The types of materials currently stocked include: Molecular Sieves, Activated Alumina, various types of Silica Gel & Activated Carbon.

Desiccant materials have the versatility to not only adsorb moisture but can be used in some purification and separation processes. The application of desiccants can be very wide ranging these include:

Processing natural gas to dry the gas whilst not removing the all-important mercaptan element.

Insulated glass (double glazing) market.

Packaging sachets, typically you may find one of these included in a new hand bag or camera.

Sometimes combinations of adsorbents may be combined to remove multiple contaminants a typical example would be a breathing air purifier where moisture, CO2, CO & Oil Vapour all have to be removed to make it safe to breath.

For many applications the adsorption process can be reversed to effectively regenerate the adsorbent for further use. This can be undertaken using, Heat, Pressure Swing Adsorption and Vacuum Swing Adsorption.