SCI和EI收录∣中国化工学会会刊

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2021, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (9): 217-221.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2020.11.037

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Ultrafine tuning of the pore size in zeolite A for efficient propyne removal from propylene

Chaohui He1, Rajamani Krishna2, Yang Chen1, Jiangfeng Yang1, Jinping Li1, Libo Li1,3   

  1. 1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Gas Energy Efficient and Clean Utilization, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China;
    2. Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
    3. Key Laboratory of Coal Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
  • Received:2020-09-29 Revised:2020-11-03 Online:2021-11-02 Published:2021-09-28
  • Contact: Libo Li
  • Supported by:
    We acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21922810, 21908153, 21908155) and program of Innovative Talents of Higher Education Institutions of Shanxi. We are grateful for the supported by Cultivate Scientific Research Excellence Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi (CSREP).

Ultrafine tuning of the pore size in zeolite A for efficient propyne removal from propylene

Chaohui He1, Rajamani Krishna2, Yang Chen1, Jiangfeng Yang1, Jinping Li1, Libo Li1,3   

  1. 1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Gas Energy Efficient and Clean Utilization, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China;
    2. Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
    3. Key Laboratory of Coal Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
  • 通讯作者: Libo Li
  • 基金资助:
    We acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21922810, 21908153, 21908155) and program of Innovative Talents of Higher Education Institutions of Shanxi. We are grateful for the supported by Cultivate Scientific Research Excellence Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi (CSREP).

Abstract: The removal of trace propyne (C3H4) from propyne/propylene (C3H4/C3H6) mixtures is a technical and challenging task during the production of polymer-grade propylene in view of their very similar size and physical properties. While some progress has been made, it is still very challenging to use some highly stable and commercially available porous materials via an energy-efficient adsorptive separation process. Herein, we report the ultrafine tuning of the pore apertures in type-A zeolites for the highly efficient removal of trace amounts of C3H4 from C3H4/C3H6 mixtures. The resulting ion-exchanged zeolite 5A exhibits a large C3H4 adsorption capacity (2.3 mmol g-1 under 10-4 MPa) and high C3H4/C3H6 selectivity at room temperature, which were mainly attributed to the ultrafine-tuned pore size that selectively blocks C3H6 molecules, while maintaining the strong adsorption of C3H4 at low pressure region. High purity of C3H6 (>99.9999%) can be directly obtained on this material under ambient conditions, as demonstrated by the experimental breakthrough curves obtained for both 1/99 and 0.1/99.9 (V/V) C3H4/C3H6 mixtures.

Key words: Type-A zeolite, Ion-exchange, Pore tuning, Propyne/propylene separation, Breakthrough experiments

摘要: The removal of trace propyne (C3H4) from propyne/propylene (C3H4/C3H6) mixtures is a technical and challenging task during the production of polymer-grade propylene in view of their very similar size and physical properties. While some progress has been made, it is still very challenging to use some highly stable and commercially available porous materials via an energy-efficient adsorptive separation process. Herein, we report the ultrafine tuning of the pore apertures in type-A zeolites for the highly efficient removal of trace amounts of C3H4 from C3H4/C3H6 mixtures. The resulting ion-exchanged zeolite 5A exhibits a large C3H4 adsorption capacity (2.3 mmol g-1 under 10-4 MPa) and high C3H4/C3H6 selectivity at room temperature, which were mainly attributed to the ultrafine-tuned pore size that selectively blocks C3H6 molecules, while maintaining the strong adsorption of C3H4 at low pressure region. High purity of C3H6 (>99.9999%) can be directly obtained on this material under ambient conditions, as demonstrated by the experimental breakthrough curves obtained for both 1/99 and 0.1/99.9 (V/V) C3H4/C3H6 mixtures.

关键词: Type-A zeolite, Ion-exchange, Pore tuning, Propyne/propylene separation, Breakthrough experiments