Publication Date:
2018-10-26
Description:
The separation of ethane from its corresponding ethylene is an important, challenging, and energy-intensive process in the chemical industry. Here we report a microporous metal-organic framework, iron(III) peroxide 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate [Fe 2 (O 2 )(dobdc) (dobdc 4– : 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate)], with iron (Fe)–peroxo sites for the preferential binding of ethane over ethylene and thus highly selective separation of C 2 H 6 /C 2 H 4 . Neutron powder diffraction studies and theoretical calculations demonstrate the key role of Fe-peroxo sites for the recognition of ethane. The high performance of Fe 2 (O 2 )(dobdc) for the ethane/ethylene separation has been validated by gas sorption isotherms, ideal adsorbed solution theory calculations, and simulated and experimental breakthrough curves. Through a fixed-bed column packed with this porous material, polymer-grade ethylene (99.99% pure) can be straightforwardly produced from ethane/ethylene mixtures during the first adsorption cycle, demonstrating the potential of Fe 2 (O 2 )(dobdc) for this important industrial separation with a low energy cost under ambient conditions.
Keywords:
Chemistry, Materials Science
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Geosciences
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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