Whats the difference between adsorption and absorption?
Adsorption and absorption are two different things. Absorption is when a substance is chemically integrated into another. When you drink a glass of water, you are absorbing it, as the water becomes part of you. Adsorption is when one substance is being held inside another by physical bonds. If you spill a glass of water on your shirt, it is adsorbed as the fibers will hold the water until heat dries out the shirt. Q: What is saturation and equilibrium capacity? A: Although technically they are different situations, for most practical purposes these two terms cover the point at which a desiccant no longer adsorbs moisture. Saturation is when the desiccant is full and even if there were moisture molecules to pick up, the desiccant could not do it. Equilibrium capacity is when the desiccant has pulled so much moisture out of the air that the air retains a stronger hold on the moisture molecules than the desiccant can exert. At equilibrium capacity, adding more desiccant will not bring the
