Question

How does temperature affect adsorption?

Answer 1

Temperature affected by the adsorption:

1. Adsorption is a process when attractive forces act between solute and solid surfaces. The area of adsorption decreases as the temperature increases, and molecules adsorbed earlier on a surface tend to desorb from the surface at elevated temperatures.
2. Adsorption is an exothermic process. Hence, according to Le Chatelier's principle at a given pressure low temperature favors adsorption.
3. If the temperature is increased, adsorbate molecules get removed from the adsorbent and this process is called desorption.
4. Thus, adsorption is inversely proportional to the temperature.

Therefore, with the increase in the temperature the rate of adsorption decreases.