Rotating bed can be used in desorption operation of biogas upgrading as a new technology. For enough time to desorb, it is important to study the relationship between the residence time of liquid in rotating bed and the material diffusion time of liquid droplet in desorption process. By theoretical deduction, the exponential relation between residence time and liquid flow rate and rotational speed and kinematic viscosity is obtained. By analyzing the solution of nonlinear partial differential equation, the time law of material diffusion in the droplet is obtained. Moreover, by comparing the residence and diffusion times, the diffusion time can be within or out of residence time range, which has a direct relationship to rotational speed and liquid flow. By experiment, the comparison between residence and diffusion times is more realistic when the rotational speed is higher. (C) 2018 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.