Adsorption separation of CO2 and N2 on MIL-101 metal-organic framework and activated carbon

In this work, the CO₂ and N₂ adsorption properties of MIL-101 metal-organic framework (MOF) and activated carbon (AC) were investigated using a standard gravimetric method within the pressure range of 0–30 bar and at four different temperatures (298, 308, 318 and 328 K). The dual-site Langmuir–Freundlich (DSLF) model was used to describe the CO₂ adsorption behaviors on these two adsorbents. The diffusion coefficients and activation energy E _a for diffusion of CO₂ in the MIL-101 and AC samples were estimated separately. Results showed that the isosteric heat of CO₂ adsorption on the MIL-101 at zero loading was much higher than that on the AC due to a much stronger interaction between CO₂ molecule and the unsaturated metal sites Cr³⁺ on MIL-101. Meanwhile, the dramatically decreased isosteric heats of CO₂ adsorption on MIL-101 indicated a more heterogeneous surface of MIL-101. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetic behaviors of CO₂ on the two samples can be well described by the micropore diffusion model. With the increase of temperature, the diffusion coefficients of CO₂ in the two samples both increased. The activation energy E _a for diffusion of CO₂ in MIL-101 was slightly lower than that in AC, suggesting that MIL-101 was much favorable for the CO₂ adsorption. The CO₂/N₂ selectivities on MIL-101 and AC were separately estimated to be 13.7 and 9.2 using Henry law constant, which were much higher than those on other MOFs.