Separation of Xylene Isomers: A Review of Recent Advances in Materials

The xylene isomers p-xylene, o-xylene, and m-xylene aromatic hydrocarbons comprising, with two methyl groups located at different positions on a benzene ring. The mixture originates from catalytic reforming of crude oil, and each individual isomer acts as a valuable intermediate; however, similar physicochemical properties make their separation difficult. This Review focuses on materials employed for their separation, such as metal-organic frameworks, molecular sieves, organics, and graphene quantum dots. Recent advances in separation of xylene isomers are summarized, including adsorption; Membrane, and chromatographic separation techniques, and adsorption capacity and selectivity Combined with Mechanisms of separation ate discussed.