Modeling gas adsorption and transport in small-pore titanium silicates

Engelhard titanium silicate, ETS-4, is a promising new adsorbent for size-selective separation of mixtures of small gases, a leading industrially important example of which is methane-nitrogen separation. Single component equilibrium and kinetics of oxygen, nitrogen, and methane adsorption in Na-ETS-4 and cation-exchanged Sr-ETS-4, measured in an earlier study over a wide range of temperatures and pressures, are analyzed in this study. The adsorbent crystals were synthesized and pelletized under pressure (without any binder), thus giving rise to a bidispersed pore structure with controlling resistance in the micropores. Change in equilibrium and kinetics of adsorption of the aforementioned gases in Sr-ETS-4 due to pore shrinkage with progressively increasing dehydration temperature has also been investigated. Differential uptakes have been measured at various levels of adsorbate loading, which has allowed the elucidation of the nature of concentration dependence of micropore diffusivity. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous models are examined on the equilibrium data, while a bidispersed pore diffusion model is able to capture the differential uptakes very well. On the basis of chemical potential gradient as the driving force for diffusion, the impact of isotherm models on the concentration dependence of micropore diffusivity is also analyzed. It is shown that pore tailoring at the molecular scale by dehydration can improve the kinetic selectivity of nitrogen over methane in Sr-ETS-4 to a promising level. The models investigated are evaluated to identify essential details necessary to reliably simulate a methane-nitrogen separation process using the promising new Sr-ETS-4 adsorbent.     

A study of heat-treatment induced framework contraction in strontium-ETS-4 by powder neutron diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy.

The effects of heat-treatment on the structure of the strontium ion-exchanged titanosilicate ETS-4 have been studied by Rietveld analysis of powder neutron diffraction data and by FT-Raman spectroscopy. Hydrous Sr-ETS-4 (space group Cmmm), upon heat-treatment under inert atmosphere at temperatures between 423 and 573 K, exhibits framework contraction as evinced by the decrease in the unit cell dimensions. The effects of heat-treatment on the dimensions of the transport-controlling eight-membered ring (8MR) are elucidated by Rietveld analysis. It is also found that during heat-treatment: (a) the double three membered rings (D3MRs) in ETS-4 are sites of structural instability, (b) the titania chains running along [010] exhibit a large degree of disorder in the bridging oxygen atoms, and (c) significant relocations of the strontium cations take place, which may affect the separation properties of the heat-treated materials. Raman spectra of heat-treated ETS-4 crystals exhibit strong cation-framework interaction effects. Vibrational modes involving the atoms in the titania chains show progressive frequency shifts and loss of intensity with increasing heat-treatment temperature, in a manner consistent with the crystallographic results. The study indicates the potential for continuously varying the effective pore dimension of ETS-4 by combining heat-treatment with appropriate ion-exchange procedures.     

Effects of site occupancy, cation relocation, and pore geometry on adsorption kinetics in ETS-4

Strontium-exchanged titanium silicate, Sr-ETS-4, is a new molecular sieve with promises for exciting applications in gas separation. The literature mentions poor thermal stability and low adsorption capacity as the drawbacks of the as-synthesized Na-ETS-4 and therefore the need for cation exchange. Upon ion exchange, Sr-ETS-4 shows appreciable kinetic selectivity between methane and nitrogen, which can be improved further by controlled dehydration. In this study, we trace the changes at the molecular level behind this improvement. By combining distributed information in the literature, it is shown that the governing factors are changes in pore geometry with progressive dehydration, changes in ion occupancy, and relocation of cations due to Sr exchange.     

Adsorption and diffusion of nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide in aluminophosphate molecular sieve AlPO4-11

The knowledge about the adsorption and diffusion properties (specially about diffusion) of aluminophosphate molecular sieves is very scarce in the literature. These materials offer interesting properties as adsorbents as they have a polar framework and do not contain charge-balancing cations. In this work, the adsorption isotherms of nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide over an AlPO₄-11 sample synthesized in our laboratories have been measured with a volumetric method at 25, 35, 50 and 65 °C over a pressure range up to 110 kPa. The adsorption capacities of each gas are determined by the strength of interaction with the pore surface (carbon dioxide > methane > nitrogen). The equilibrium selectivity to carbon dioxide is quite high with respect to other adsorbents without cations due to the polarity of the aluminophosphate framework. The adsorption Henry’s law constants and diffusion time constants of nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide in the synthesized AlPO₄-11 material have been measured from pulse experiments. A pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process for recovering methane from a carbon dioxide/methane mixture (resembling biogas) has been designed using a dynamic model where the measured adsorption equilibrium and kinetic information has been incorporated. The simulation results show that the proposed process could be simpler than other PSA processes for biogas upgrading based on cation-containing molecular sieves such as 13X zeolite, as it can treat the biogas at atmospheric pressure, and it requires a lower pressure ratio, to produce high purity methane with high recovery.     

Investigating entropy changes during gas adsorption in ETS-4

Energetic heterogeneity has been investigated for Engelhard titanium silicate Na-ETS-4 adsorbent and its Sr-exchanged variant, Sr-ETS-4. Na-ETS-4 was nearly homogeneous, while Sr exchange seemed to induce some degree of energetic heterogeneity in the sample, which diminished upon dehydration at higher temperature. Analysis of the entropy change during adsorption showed that the adsorbate molecules at low as well as moderate loading possess entropy greater than that predicted by the 2-D mobile film model, the excess being attributed to vibrational freedom. The wavelength of this vibration decreased with increasing coverage, as expected. For oxygen, the observed entropy drops in Na-ETS-4 and in Sr-ETS-4 are comparable, whereas, for nitrogen and methane, Sr exchange resulted in a greater entropy drop than in Na-ETS-4, suggesting greater restriction to movement in the Sr-exchanged sample. This study presents a simplistic yet effective understanding of the energetic behavior of the adsorbed molecules in ETS-4 adsorbent. This is vital to a thorough energetic characterization and study of the adsorption phenomenon in these new, promising adsorbents.     

Computer simulations of adsorption and diffusion for binary mixtures of methane and hydrogen in titanosilicates

Equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of equimolar mixtures of hydrogen and methane were performed in three different titanosilicates: naturally occurring zorite and two synthetic titanosilicates, ETS-4 and ETS-10. In addition, single-component MD simulations and adsorption isotherms generated using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations were performed to support the mixture simulations. The goal of this study was to determine the best membrane material to carry out hydrogen/methane separations. ETS-10 has a three-dimensional pore network. ETS-4 and zorite have two-dimensional pore networks. The simulations carried out in this study show that the increased porosity of ETS-10 results in self-diffusion coefficients for both hydrogen and methane that are higher in ETS-10 than in either ETS-4 or zorite. Methane only showed appreciable displacement in ETS-10. The ability of the methane molecules to move in all three directions in ETS-10 was demonstrated by the high degree of isotropy shown in the values of the x, y, and z components of the self-diffusion coefficient for methane in ETS-10. From our simulations we conclude that ETS-10 would be better suited for fast industrial separations of hydrogen and methane. However, the separation would not result in a pure hydrogen stream. In contrast, ETS-4 and zorite would act as true molecular sieves for separations of hydrogen and methane, as the methane would not move through membranes made of these materials. This was indicated by the near-zero self-diffusion coefficient of methane in ETS-4 and zorite.     

Adsorption separation performance of H2/CH4 on ETS-4 by concentration pulse chromatography

To exploit an effective adsorbent to separate hydrogen and methane, microporous titanium silicate molecular sieve NaETS-4 was synthesized and modified by strontium. The adsorption characteristics and diffusion behaviors of the prepared titanosilicate molecular sieve were studied by concentration pulse chromatography. And the effects of ion-exchange and dehydration temperature on adsorbent structure and gas diffusion were also discussed. The results showed that the thermal stability and Henry＇s Law constants were enhanced and micropore diffusivity decreased after exchanging Na＋ with Sr2＋. With the increase of dehydration temperature, Henry＇s Law constant and micropore diffusivity of CI-I4 decreased in both NaETS-4 and SrETS-4. While for 1-12 in SrETS-4, the increase of Henry＇s Law constant and the decrease of diffusion rate can be attributed to the shrinks of pore diameter resulting from the relocation of Sr2＋. Correspondingly, the kinetic selectivity of H2/CH4 reached 8.91 indicating its potentiality in separating H2 and CH4.     

Kinetic separation of propene and propane in metal-organic frameworks: controlling diffusion rates in plate-shaped crystals via tuning of pore apertures and crystallite aspect ratios

A series of isostructural, noncatenated, zinc-pillared-paddlewheel metal-organic framework materials has been synthesized from 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(carboxyphenyl)benzene and trans-1,2-dipyridylethene struts. Substantial kinetic selectivity in the adsorption of propene over propane can be observed, depending on the pore apertures and the rectangular-plate morphology of the crystals.     

Competitive adsorption of Pb2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+ ions on microporous titanosilicate ETS-10

In the present study, the competitive adsorption characteristics of binary and ternary heavy metal ions Pb2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+ on microporous titanosilicate ETS-10 were investigated in batch systems. Pure microporous titanosilicate ETS-10 was synthesized with P25 as the Ti source and characterized by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission-scanning electron microscope (FESEM), nitrogen adsorption, and zeta-potential. Equilibrium and kinetic adsorption data showed that ETS-10 displays a high selectivity toward one metal in a two-component or a three-component system with an affinity order of Pb2+ > Cd2+ > Cu2+. The equilibrium behaviors of heavy metals species with stronger affinity toward ETS-10 can be described by the Langmuir equation while the adsorption kinetics of the metals can be well fitted to a pseudo-second-order (PSO) model.     

Adsorption separation performance of H2/CH4 on ETS-4 by concentration pulse chromatography

To exploit an effective adsorbent to separate hydrogen and methane, microporous titanium silicate molecular sieve NaETS-4 was synthesized and modified by strontium. The adsorption characteristics and diffusion behaviors of the prepared titanosilicate molecular sieve were studied by concentration pulse chromatography. And the effects of ion-exchange and dehydration temperature on adsorbent structure and gas diffusion were also discussed. The results showed that the thermal stability and Henry's Law constants were enhanced and micropore diffusivity decreased after exchanging Na⁺ with Sr²⁺. With the increase of dehydration temperature, Henry's Law constant and micropore diffusivity of CH₄ decreased in both NaETS-4 and SrETS-4. While for H₂ in SrETS-4, the increase of Henry's Law constant and the decrease of diffusion rate can be attributed to the shrinks of pore diameter resulting from the relocation of Sr²⁺. Correspondingly, the kinetic selectivity of H₂/CH₄ reached 8.91 indicating its potentiality in separating H₂ and CH₄.     

Separation of CO2 from CH4 using mixed-ligand metal-organic frameworks

The adsorption of CO2 and CH4 in a mixed-ligand metal-organic framework (MOF) Zn 2(NDC) 2(DPNI) [NDC = 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate, DPNI = N, N'-di-(4-pyridyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene tetracarboxydiimide] was investigated using volumetric adsorption measurements and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations. The MOF was synthesized by two routes: first at 80 degrees C for two days with conventional heating, and second at 120 degrees C for 1 h using microwave heating. The two as-synthesized samples exhibit very similar powder X-ray diffraction patterns, but the evacuated samples show differences in nitrogen uptake. From the single-component CO2 and CH4 isotherms, mixture adsorption was predicted using the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST). The microwave sample shows a selectivity of approximately 30 for CO2 over CH4, which is among the highest selectivities reported for this separation. The applicability of IAST to this system was demonstrated by performing GCMC simulations for both single-component and mixture adsorption.     

Pt/CNT纳米催化剂的微波快速合成及其对甲醇电化学氧化的电催化性能

碳纳米管 (CNT)作为制备新型催化剂载体已有广泛的研究 [1～ 8] ,例如 ,在其表面负载 Pt,Ru和Pt Ru后则具有良好的催化性能[1,2 ,6～ 8] .但在 CNT表面负载金属微粒的方法难以获得尺寸和形状均匀的纳米粒子 .因此 ,如何制备超细和均匀的纳米粒子是一项具有重要的学术意义和技术价值的工作 .我们利用微波加热的多元醇工艺合成了 XC-72碳负载铂纳米粒子的催化剂 ,并发现它对甲醇的氧化具有较高的电催化活性 [9] .本文进一步以 CNT作为载体 ,利用微波加热法快速合成了 Pt/ CNT纳米催化剂 ,并对其对甲醇电化学氧化的性能进行了初步研究 …     

Hierarchically structured β-Ni(OH)2 clusters: a uniquely efficient aqueous phase pollutant adsorbent for multiple anionic dyes and heavy metal ions

Herein, for the first time mesostructured 3D self-assembled β-Ni(OH)₂ clusters with high surface area, large pore size, and uniform flower-like morphology have been synthesized by implementing a novel microwave heating method, using glycine as the cappant. The β-Ni(OH)₂ clusters are subjected to aqueous phase pollutant adsorption for multiple anionic dyes [congo red (CR), acid fuchsin (AF) and acid red 27 (AR-27)], and heavy metal ions [divalent lead ion, Pb(II) and divalent cadmium ion, Cd(II)]. The comprehensive kinetic analyses show that the adsorption of dyes and metal ions on the β-Ni(OH)₂ cluster surface occurs by chemisorption (pseudo-second order kinetics) and intraparticle diffusion (film and pore diffusion) processes. Further, the β-Ni(OH)₂ clusters show excellent equilibrium adsorption capacity for all the anionic dyes and metal ions. The equilibrium isotherm data show homogenous distribution of CR and AF dyes, and heterogeneous distribution of AR-27 dye on the β-Ni(OH)₂ surface. The excellent adsorption efficiency is attributed to the microwave-induced highly hydroxylated rippled 2D surface, open pore architecture, and suitable pore distribution of the β-Ni(OH)₂ clusters, which collectively cause strong hydrogen bonding between the cluster surface and anionic dyes as well as metal ions.     

Highly effective methane conversion to aromatic hydrocarbons by means of microwave and rf-induced catalysis

Conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbon products, in particular, aromatic hydrocarbons has been achieved with good methane conversion and selectivity to aromatic products over heterogeneous catalysts using both high power pulsed microwave and rf energy. For example, under microwave irradiation > 85% conversion of methane and 60% selectivity to aromatics could be achieved. Cu, Ni, Fe and Al metallic materials are highly effective catalysts for the aromatization of methane via microwave heating; however, with a variety of supported catalysts the major products were C₂ hydrocarbons and the conversion of methane was low. The use of sponge, wire and net forms of these metal catalysts was found advantageous in effective methane conversion. The reactions are considered to be free radical in nature and to proceed through an intermediate stage involving formation of acetylene. The influence of catalyst nature and configuration, as well as the microwave and rf irradiation parameters on the reaction efficiency and product selectivity has been examined in both batch and continuous flow conditions.     

Molecular simulation of adsorption and separation of mixtures of short linear alkanes in pillared layered materials at ambient temperature

Grand canonical Monte Carlo and configurational-bias Monte Carlo techniques are carried out to simulate the adsorption of ternary and quaternary mixtures of short linear alkanes, involving methane, ethane, propane, and n-butane, in pillared layered materials at ambient temperature, T=300 K. In the simulation, a pillared layered pore is modeled by a uniform distribution of pillars between two layered walls built by making two separate talc lamellas parallel each other with a given size of interlayer distance. The interaction between fluid molecules and two layered walls is measured by storing potentials calculated in advance at a series of grid points. The interaction between fluid molecules and pillars is also calculated by a site-to-site method. The potential model proposed in this work is proved to be effective because of the simulation result being good agreement with the experimental data for the adsorption of nitrogen at 77 K. Then, the adsorption isotherms of mixtures of short linear alkanes in pillared layered pores with three different porosities psi=0.98, 0.93 and 0.85, and three pore widths H=1.02, 1.70 and 2.38 nm at 300 K are obtained by taking advantage of the model. The simulation results tell us that the longer chain component is preferentially adsorbed at low pressures, and its adsorption increases and then decreases as the pressure increases while the shorter chain component is still adsorbed at high pressures. Moreover, the sorption selectivity of pillared layered materials for the longest chain component in alkane mixtures increases as the mole fraction of methane in the gas phase increases. The selectivity of pillared layered materials for the longest chain component in alkane mixtures also increases as the pore width decreases and the porosity increases.     

Microwave‐assisted Ionothermal Synthesis and Characterization of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework‐8

The zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) was successfully synthesized using ionic liquids as structure‐directing agent under microwave irradiation. Ionic liquids are green solvents with low vapour pressure and good thermal stability. They are appropriate templates for microporous materials and ideal microwave absorbers. The microwave‐assisted ionothermal synthesis applied in this paper was expected to be a promising method for the preparation of microporous materials. Results showed that the as‐synthesized samples (300–500 nm in diameter) could be synthesized in a short time (60 min) and possessed regular morphology, stable structure and high thermal stability (up to 720°C in argon atmosphere). Nitrogen adsorption‐desorption test illustrated that samples produced by microwave heating had a higher surface area. Carbon dioxide adsorption test indicated that the samples synthesized by microwave heating had better carbon dioxide adsorption ability than those by conventional heating.     

Adsorption of Acid Dyes by Functionalized SBA‐15 Mesoporous Silica of Different Pore Lengths

SBA‐15 materials of different pore lengths and functionalized with various organic groups were synthesized by one‐pot co‐condensation and applied as adsorbents for the acid orange 12 (AO12) and acid red 73 (AR73) dyes. The materials were characterized by techniques such as X‐ray powder diffraction, nitrogen sorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy, and infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The adsorption behaviors of the SBA‐15 materials toward AO12 and AR73 dyes were investigated by varying several factors including morphologies of adsorbents, pH of solution, functional groups on SBA‐15, and temperature. The equilibrium adsorption data agreed with Langmuir isotherms. The kinetic parameters were also calculated and the first‐order kinetic model fitted well for amino‐functionalized SBA‐15 material. The short channeling pores of the amino‐functionalized SBA‐15 platelets facilitated the diffusion of dye molecules inside the pores and prevented the aggregation of dye molecules from the blocking of the pores. To conclude, however, the adsorption capacity is dependent on the amount of amino‐loading and surface area of the SBA‐15 materials.     

中空纤维担载氧化硅膜的制备及结构研究

采用SXRD,HRTEM,FTIR,SEM和氮气吸附等测试手段对膜结构、形貌、孔径及其分布进行了表征.SXRD和HRTEM结果显示,所制备的膜具有短程有序结构.SEM分析发现膜表面完整.气体渗透实验表明,担载膜具有一定的气体选择性,在0.1MPa下对H₂/N₂和CH₄/N₂的分离因子分别为2.25和1.56,气体透过膜孔的扩散由努森机制所控制.等温氮气吸附实验显示,经500℃热处理后氧化硅膜的最可几孔径小于3.34nm,非担载膜的比表面积为919.8m²/g,孔容为0.43mL/g.     

Modeling the adsorption kinetics of some priority organic pollutants in water from diffusion and activation energy parameters

The kinetic aspects of adsorption of some priority organic pollutants, viz., phenol (hydroxybenzene), o-hydroxyphenol (1,2-dihydroxybenzene), m-hydroxyphenol (1,3-dihydroxybenzene), and 4-nitrophenol (1-hydroxy-4-nitrobenzene), on fly ash have been studied. The process is found to be of complex nature consisting of both surface adsorption and pore diffusion, the extent being estimated from the diffusion coefficient value. Activation parameter data for the ultimate adsorption as well as the pore diffusion are also evaluated. The data indicate that in the studied solute concentration range, external transport mainly governs the rate-limiting process.     

微波场对固态氧离子导体上的甲烷氧化偶朕的影响

研究了微波场下甲烷在具有Bi2O3结构的固态氧离子导体上氧化偶联反应行为．与常规加热条件下的反应结果相比较,微波辐照下的反应有如下特点;（1）在达到相同甲烷转化率时,微波辐照下所需床层温度要远低于常规加热条件下所需床层温度;（2）微波辐照下,甲烷氧化偶联产物中C2烃的选择性普遍较高,在低温区尤为突出．微波场下甲烷偶联产物乙烷、乙烯的再氧化得到一定程度的抑制,致使微波场下的甲烷氧化偶联反应通常有较低的烯／烷比．