a School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China; E-mail:
cezhli@scut.edu.cn
bState Key Lab of Subtropical Building Science of China, South China
University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, PR China
Abstract: Separation and recovery of
C2H6 and
C3H8 from natural gas is a potentially
economical but challenging subject in the petroleum industry. In this
work, we report a stable pillared-layer microporous MOF,
Ni(TMBDC)(DABCO)0.5 for the separation of
C2H6 and
C3H8 from natural gas.
Ni(TMBDC)(DABCO)0.5 remained intact structure after
exposure to humid air with RH = 100% for days. Derived from the
combination of dense and accessible methyl group and methylene group in
the channel, Ni(TMBDC)(DABCO)0.5 exhibited strong
affinity toward C3H8 and
C2H6, with remarkably high capacities of
2.80 mmol/g at 1 kPa and 3.37 mmol/g at 5 kPa for
C3H8, as well as 2.93 mmol/g at 10 kPa
for C2H6. Its IAST selectivities of
C3H8/CH4 and
C2H6/CH4 reached 274 and
29, respectively. The complete separation of
CH4/C2H6/C3H8ternary mixture on breakthrough experiment demonstrated the great
potential on recovery of C2H6 and
C3H8 from natural gas through a
Ni(TMBDC)(DABCO)0.5 packed column.
Key words: Metal-organic framework, light hydrocarbons, natural
gas, separation, stability