Micro- and mesoporous CuBTCs for CO2/CH4 separation

• Published in: The Korean journal of chemical engineering Vol. 32; no. 12; pp. 2501 - 2506
• Main Authors: Yoon, Hyung Chul, Rallapalli, Phani Brahma Somayajulu, Han, Sang Sup, Beum, Hee Tae, Jung, Tae Sung, Cho, Dong Woo, Ko, Minsu, Kim, Jong-Nam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2015; 한국화학공학회
• Subjects: Biotechnology; Catalysis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Materials Science; Separation Technology; Thermodynamics; 화학공학; Ideal Adsorption Solution Theory; CO; CH; Mesoporous CuBTC; Microporous CuBTC
• DOI: 10.1007/s11814-015-0088-9
• ISSN: 0256-1115

Micro- and mesoporous CuBTCs, referred to as micro- and meso- CuBTCs, were synthesized, and tested for their capacity to adsorptively remove CO 2 from a binary mixture of CO 2 -CH 4 . Physicochemical analyses of the thermally treated Cu-BTCs were performed. The CO 2 and CH 4 adsorption isotherms for the Cu-BTCs at 25 °C in the pressure range 0-3MPa were experimentally measured and implemented for calculating the CO 2 /CH 4 selectivity as a function of pressure and CO 2 concentration using the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST). The CH 4 adsorption capacity of meso -CuBTC at 3MPa was reduced to 43% of that of micro -CuBTC, whereas the CO 2 adsorption capacity of meso -CuBTC at 3MPa was reduced to 27% of that of micro -CuBTCs. Consequently, meso -CuBTC shows a higher CO 2 /CH 4 selectivity compared to micro -CuBTC. It was also found that the selectivity of the CuBTCs could be enhanced by lowering the partial pressure of CO 2 . This was ascribed to the larger abatement of the adsorption capacity for CH 4 than for CO 2 , resulting from a reduction of the interaction of CH 4 with the surface of pores of meso -CuBTC of which the pore size had been augmented.