Remarkable C2H4 separation at ambient condition with a chemically sturdy porous MOF through pore confinement

Abstract

An alternate to energy intensive cryogenic high-pressure distillation process for the separation of ethylene from its gas mixture with ethane is highly appealing. In this contribution, a highly chemically robust microporous MOF named 1 (stable in water, boiling water, and pH = 2–11) has been employed for preferential ethylene sorption with excellent selectivity. The simulation study disclosed the selective pore confinement of ethylene through non-covalent interactions with the amine and carboxylate sites of the framework backbone. Column breakthrough study unveiled 15.2 and 24.8 L kg−1 ethylene production per cycle at 298 K for the 50:50 and 90:10 (v/v) C2H4/C2H6 mixture which places this MOF as one of the best physisorbent material for ethylene separation. Industrial applicability is tested in a hydrous environment (displaying unaltered performance) as well as its regenerability under vacuum or mild heating for successive cyclic operations.