A DAC method as well as a unit containing an adsorber structure having an array of adsorber elements with a support layer and on both sides thereof a sorbent layer (1, 2), wherein the adsorber elements are parallel and spaced apart forming parallel fluid passages for flow-through of ambient atmospheric air and steam. The method involves the following sequential and repeating steps: (a) adsorption by flow-through; (b) isolating the sorbent; (c) injecting a stream of saturated steam through the parallel fluid passages and inducing an increase of the temperature; (d) extracting desorbed carbon dioxide from the unit and separating it from steam; (e) bringing the sorbent material to ambient temperature conditions wherein in step (a) the speed of the air is in the range of 2-8 m/s, and wherein at least in step (d) the speed of the steam is at least 0.2 m/s.

Disclosed is a device of regenerating powdered activated carbon using superheated steam according to the present invention, the device being capable of enhancing the efficiency of regeneration of the activated carbon in a powder form by performing a regeneration process using the steam having a high temperature in order to eliminate a problem which is that the efficiency of the regeneration decreases extremely due to carbonization resulting from exposure to a high temperature at the time of the regeneration of the powdered activated carbon which is activated carbon in power structure.

The present invention concerns a process for the separation of a gas mixture containing CO.sub.2 and at least one inert gaseous species, comprising (a) feeding the gas mixture into an adsorption column via a first inlet located at a first side of the column, wherein the adsorption column contains a solid CO.sub.2 sorbent loaded with H.sub.2O molecules and thereby desorbing H.sub.2O molecules and adsorbing CO.sub.2 molecules, to obtain a sorbent loaded with CO.sub.2 and an inert product stream; and then (b) feeding a stripping gas comprising H.sub.2O into the adsorption column via a second inlet located at a second side which is opposite to the first inlet, thereby stripping the sorbent and desorbing CO.sub.2 molecules and adsorbing H.sub.2O molecules, to obtain a sorbent loaded with H.sub.2O and the CO.sub.2 product stream, wherein the adsorption column is re-used in step (a) after being stripped in step (b). The invention also concerns an apparatus for performing the process according to the invention.