Adsorption processes constitute a powerful set of separation technologies for diverse separations scenarios. Adsorption units normally come into play to reduce the resources employed for the separation. An ideal adsorption process should combine a best-of-class material (or materials) with advanced engineering concepts to render a process that can be considered as intensified by design. Standard requirements for an adsorption unit are to have a selective and fast adsorption (material-driven) coupled with a smart regeneration (process driven) that reduce energy consumption and unit footprint.
I will present some technological possibilities to implement adsorption concepts in different industrial scenarios. We will cover different types of separations ranging from gas phase separations where energy efficiency is the main target to liquid separations where adsorption can transform the overall sustainability by drastic resource (energy & water) reduction.