One-step removal of alkynes and propadiene from cracking gases using a multi-functional molecular separator.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35618705.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-30408-2 and PMC identifier 9135742.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Refineries generally employ multiple energy-intensive distillation/adsorption columns to separate and purify complicated chemical mixtures. Materials such as multi-functional molecular separators integrating various modules capable of separating molecules according to their shape and chemical properties simultaneously may represent an alternative. Herein, we address this challenge in the context of one-step removal of alkynes and propadiene from cracking gases (up to 10 components) using a multi-functional and responsive material ZU-33 through a guest/temperature dual-response regulation strategy. The responsive and guest-adaptive properties of ZU-33 provide the optimized binding energy for alkynes and propadiene, and avoid the competitive adsorption of olefins and paraffins, which is verified by breakthrough tests, single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments, and simulation studies. The responsive properties to different stimuli endow materials with multiple regulation methods and broaden the boundaries of the applicability of porous materials to challenging separations.