Abstract
The unique shape selectivity of zeolite is widely used in gas separation, but the preparation of adsorbents for the efficient separation of CH4/N2 is technically challenging due to their similar physical properties. Herein, we performed a two-step modification of commercial zeolite Y by ion exchange (Zn2+) and ligand (almIM) grafting, and successfully introduced metal complexes into the pores of zeolite NaY. The suitable pore size (0.4 nm) and the presence of functional groups made the adsorbents more efficient for CH4/N2 separation. At 298 K and 1 bar, the CH4/N2 selectivity of ZnY-almIM reached to 4.52, which was significantly higher than that of the pristine zeolite NaY (1.52). DFT simulations confirmed that the introduction of ligands enhanced the affinity between the zeolite framework and CH4. Breakthrough experiments have demonstrated that ZnY-almIM exhibits excellent CH4/N2 separation performance, and more importantly, the two-bed six-step pressure swing adsorption (PSA) simulations further indicated that the pristine 50 % methane could be enriched to 90 % with a recovery of 87 %.
Published Version
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