Separation of SF6 from SF6/N2 mixture using metal-organic framework MIL-100(Fe) granule

In this study, the MIL-100(Fe) granule (1.18-1.70 mm in size) was successfully synthesized using silica sol as a binder to verify the applicability of MIL-100(Fe) as an adsorbent for SF6/N-2 separation. There were no significant changes in the physical and the chemical properties after the granulation process of a powder-type MIL-100(Fe) confirmed by XRD, specific surface area and equilibrium adsorption. The adsorption capacity of SF6 on the MIL-100(Fe) granule was 1.658 mmol/g, and the selectivity of SF6 over N-2 was 24.4 at 1 bar and 298 K. Compared to Zeolite 13X, the breakthrough time of the MIL-100(Fe) granule was much shorter than Zeolite 13X at 1 bar, but the breakthrough time became similar with Zeolite 13X at 9 bar. The selectivity of MIL-100(Fe) was also modest for SF6 over N2, and showed only a weak pressure dependent in comparison with Zeolite 13X. The regeneration experiments with multiple runs of adsorption/desorption cycles showed that the MIL-100(Fe) granule could be regenerated with much less purge gas than Zeolite 13X, which reveals that the MIL-100(Fe) granule is a promising material for SF6/N-2 separation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.