The purposes of this paper were to monitor the temperature rising courses and spark discharge of the modified granular activated carbon (GAC) by microwave (MW) irradiation and to evaluate absorption of benzene. The GAC coated on SiO2, boron, talc, ferrite was named as the modified GAC. Thermal and spark discharge measurement of virgin GAC and modifed GAC has been carried out using a MW device operating at 2450 MHz under various energy conditions. The results of this paper as follows. First, the modified GAC is more efficient than the virgin GAC in temperature control. Temperature gradient of the modified GAC is more lower than that of virgin GAC. The temperature gradient of GAC was observed in the following order : virgin GAC, Mn-Zn ferrite/GAC, Ni-Zn ferrite,/GAC, SiO2/GAC, Boron/GAC, Talc/GAC. Second, the spark discharge of the modified GAC was diminished, compared with that of virgin GAC. Because of its excellent electrical insulating properties, the coating material prevents the spark discharge. Finally, the benzene adsorption capacity of the modified GAC decreased due to diminishing of adsorption site by the coating material. Considering the temperature gradient and spark discharge of GAC, the GAC coated SiO2 would be appropriate absorbent under irradiation of MW.

Adsorption characteristics of benzene by zeolite were investigated using irradiating microwave. Experimental apparatus was applied to a U-type fix-bed column equipped with microwave system. Zeolite, itself, seems to be inappropriated to remove benzene because of a hygroscopic property. Microwave irradiation to zeolite, however, brings about decreasing H2O adsorption and increasing benzene adsorption. This causes that the dipole material such as H2O was vibrated and heated by irradiation of microwave and desorbed from zeolite. And then, benzene starts to be absorbed by zeolite. In this study, the results showed that the selective adsorption of benzene was occurred by the microwave irradiation and the adsorption capacity of benzene was increased by increasing microwave energy. As a results, it was found that the zeolite could be used to adsorb benzene with microwave and this method make it feasible simultaneously to adsorb and desorb benzene.