Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 23, 2025

Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics
Published on: April 12, 2019
Lattice Boltzmann method for adsorption under stationary and transient conditions: Interplay between transport and
Zaineb Zaafouri1, Guillaume Batôt2, Carlos Nieto-Draghi
1IFP Energies Nouvelles, 1 & 4 Av. Bois Préau, 92852 Rueil Malmaison, France and Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LIPhy, 38000 Grenoble, France.
Abstract:
A numerical method based on the Lattice Boltzmann formalism is presented to capture the effect of adsorption kinetics on transport in porous media. Through the use of a general adsorption operator, canonical models such as Henry and Langmuir adsorption as well as more complex adsorption mechanisms involving collective behavior with lateral interactions and surface aggregation can be investigated using this versatile model. By extending the description of adsorption phenomena to kinetic regimes with any underlying adsorption model, this effective technique allows assessing the coupled dynamics resulting from advection, diffusion, and adsorption in pores not only in stationary conditions but also under transient conditions (i.e., in regimes where the adsorbed amount evolves with time due to diffusion and advection). As illustrated in this paper, the development of such an approach provides a simple tool to determine the reciprocal effect of molecular flow and dispersion on adsorption kinetics. In this context, the use of a Lattice Boltzmann-based approach is important as it allows considering porous media of any morphology and topology. Beyond fundamental implications, this efficient method allows treating real engineering conditions such as pollutant dispersion or surfactant injection in a flowing liquid in soils and porous rocks.
Related Concept Videos
Analyte Adsorption and Distribution
Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution: Problem Solving
This distribution function f(v) is defined by saying that the expected number N (v1,v2) of particles with speeds between v1 and v2 is given by
Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics
When administered orally, drugs establish a substantial concentration gradient between the gastrointestinal (GI) lumen and the bloodstream, expediting...
Distribution of Molecular Speeds
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...
Facilitated Diffusion
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...

