A Robust Metal-Organic Framework with Scalable Synthesis and Optimal Adsorption and Desorption for Energy-Efficient Ethylene Purification

Adsorptive separation is an energy-efficient alternative, but its advancement has been hindered by the challenge of industrially potential adsorbents development. Herein, a novel ultra-microporous metal-organic framework ZU-901 is designed that satisfies the basic criteria raised by ethylene/ethane (C2H4/C2H6) pressure swing adsorption (PSA). ZU-901 exhibits an S shaped C2H4 curve with high sorbent selection parameter (65) and could be mildly regenerated. Through green aqueous-phase synthesis, ZU-901 is easily scalable with 99 % yield, and it is stable in water, acid, basic solutions and cycling breakthrough experiments. Polymer-grade C2H4 (99.51 %) could be obtained via a simulating two-bed PSA process, and the corresponding energy consumption is only 1/10 of that of simulating cryogenic distillation. Our work has demonstrated the great potential of pore engineering in designing porous materials with desired adsorption and desorption behavior to implement an efficient PSA process.

Automated summary

A novel ultra-microporous metal-organic framework ZU-901 is designed that satisfies the requirements of ethylene/ethane pressure swing adsorption. ZU-901 exhibits high sorbent selection parameter and mild regenerability. Through a green aqueous-phase synthesis, ZU-901 can be easily scaled up with high yield and has excellent stability in various environments. The simulated two-bed PSA process using ZU-901 can achieve polymer-grade ethylene with significantly lower energy consumption compared to cryogenic distillation.