Adsorption characteristics and separation behavior of binder and binderless zeolite LiX Pellets: O2, N2, and CO2

Abstract

In adsorptive gas separation process design, optimal adsorbent selection acts as a critical factor in process efficiency. This study investigated the adsorption equilibria and kinetics of O2, N2, and CO2 (weak, medium and strong affinity, respectively) and the breakthrough performance of four commercial zeolite LiX pellets (one binderless and three binder zeolite LiX pellets) because the performance of pelletized zeolites becomes different by adding binders and pelletizing methods. The adsorption isotherms at 293–323 K and up to 100 kPa were correlated with the dual-site Langmuir and Sips models. For all adsorbents, the order of adsorption amount and isosteric heat of adsorption was CO2 ≫ N2 > O2. However, differences among the four zeolite pellets were also observed, showing the highest values of the binderless zeolite LiX pellet. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity was 20–25 % smaller for CO2 and 40–50 % smaller of N2 and O2 at 100 kPa compared to pure zeolite LiX powder. According to kinetic analysis using a non-isothermal diffusion model, the adsorption rate of N2 was faster than that of CO2 for all adsorbents, showing the order difference in the low-pressure range. The kinetic difference among the zeolite pellets resulted from the effects of heat of adsorption, heat dissipation, and thermal resistance. The breakthrough performance using N2 and O2 was mainly controlled by the adsorption capacity, showing almost constant breakthrough pattern regardless of the samples. This study suggests that detailed evaluation of pelletized adsorbent is essential before designing adsorptive processes because performance of adsorbent powder would lead to under-design of the process. (255 words)