Sorption
The SuDS Manual (C753), published by CIRIA in 2015 defines sorption as: ‘A physical and chemical process by which one substance becomes attached to another. It includes adsorption and absorption.’
Assessing risks in insulation retrofits using hygrothermal software tools, Heat and moisture transport in internally insulated stone walls, by Joseph Little, Calina Ferraro and Beñat Arregi, published by Historic Environment Scotland in 2015, defines sorption as: ‘The process in which a material takes up a liquid or vapour, usually moisture. Sorption is a combined term that includes both absorption and adsorption: whilst spelt similarly these are very different. In the context of a porous material, absorption is the uptake of moisture from the environment into the volume of the solid material, combining with its molecular structure. Adsorption is the adhesion of a very thin layer of liquid to the surface of the pore wall, drawn by molecular forces. Desorption (the opposite of sorption) refers to the release of moisture from the porous material, and is often caused by a rise of temperature.’
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