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Scalable Room-Temperature Synthesis of the Ultramicroporous Metal–Organic Framework for Separation of the C 2 H 6 / C 2 H 4 Mixture

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) is a vital industrial chemical with a growing market, similarly produced through the steam cracking of hydrocarbons, such as ethane (C 2 H 6 ). However, separating C 2 H 4 from a C 2 H 6 and C 2 H 4 mixture remains challenging due to their similar molecular sizes and boiling points, necessitating highly energy-intensive processes such as cryogenic distillation. This study introduces two ultramicroporous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), NKMOF-17-Co and NKMOF-17-Cu, synthesized rapidly under ambient conditions as efficient materials for C 2 H 6 /C 2 H 4 separation via physical adsorption. Gas adsorption experiments reveal that NKMOF-17-Co and -Cu exhibit a preference for adsorbing C 2 H 6 over C 2 H 4 . Determined by these single crystal structures of loading gases into NKMOF-17-Co and -Cu, stronger hydrogen bonding and C–H···π interactions between C 2 H 6 and MOFs were confirmed clearly. Verified by breakthrough tests of a C 2 H 6 and C 2 H 4 mixture for NKMOF-17-Co and -Cu, C 2 H 4 was obtained in high purity (>99.96%). NKMOF-17-Co and -Cu were regenerated with low energy requirements and showed stable performance under repeated cycling tests. These findings suggest that NKMOF-17-Co and -Cu hold great promise for energy-efficient separation processes in the industrial separation of C 2 H 6 and C 2 H 4 .

Source: Chem & Bio Engineering

DOI: 10.1021/cbe.5c00063