Comparatively Speaking: Adsorption vs. Absorption

By: Anthony J. O'Lenick Jr., Siltech LLC

Posted: September 28, 2010

Tony O’Lenick explains the difference between absorption and adsorption for the benefit of novice formulators.

Absorption describes a process wherein molecules enter a bulk phase; for example, a dry sponge absorbs water. The molecule being absorbed is taken into the material doing the absorption.

Adsorption describes a process wherein only the surface of the material doing the adsorption is utilized. In the adsorption process, the material being adsorbed accumulates on the surface of a adsorbent.

The difference is that in absorption, the substance being absorbed diffuses into the material, while in adsorption, the substance merely interacts with the surface of the material.

Activated carbon is an example of an absorbant. Activated carbon also is a form of carbon that has been processed to make it extremely porous and thus to have a large surface area available for adsorption.