Adsorptive removal of toluene and carbon tetrachloride from gas phase using Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8: Effects of synthesis method, particle size, and pretreatment of the adsorbent

Abstract

Dynamic adsorption of toluene and carbon tetrachloride was studied on Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8). The ZIF-8 was synthesized using environmentally friendly procedures in an aqueous solution at ambient temperature with different concentrations of precursors. ZIF-8 samples were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, DLS, and BET, and the results indicated that both synthesis methods lead to pure ZIF-8 products. The adsorption of toluene and carbon tetrachloride from gas phase was studied in a fixed bed reactor. The effects of different pretreatment conditions, particle size, and surface area of ZIF-8 on the adsorption performance were studied using a breakthrough curve. Experimental results revealed that ZIF-8 adsorption performance was improved as pretreatment temperatures was increased and particle size was reduced. The results of the experimental dynamic adsorption of toluene and carbon tetrachloride on ZIF-8 were fitted into the Thomas and Yan models. It was observed that toluene adsorption breakthrough curves were fitted in both models better than those of carbon tetrachloride curves.