Kinetic Separation of Butane Isomers Using a Formate Metal‐Organic Framework
n-butane (n-C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>10</sub>) and isobutane (i-C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>10</sub>) are important raw materials in chemical industry. The separation of the two hydrocarbon isomers via distillation is challenging and energy-consuming. Herein we report the adsorption behavior of a microporous cobalt formate framework [Co<sub>3</sub>(HCOO)<sub>6</sub>] for potential kinetic separation of butane isomers. Under ambient condition, [Co<sub>3</sub>(HCOO)<sub>6</sub>] shows near adsorption capacity for n-C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>10</sub> (1.77 mmol g<sup>-1</sup>) and i-C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>10</sub> (1.36 mmol g<sup>-1</sup>) with different adsorption kinetics. Study on the adsorption kinetics for butane indicates that the smaller isomer is adsorbed at a higher diffusion rate, resulting in a high kinetic selectivity of 193 for n-C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>10</sub>/i-C<sub>4</sub>H<sub>10</sub> separation. Analyses of adsorption kinetics and breakthrough experiment have validated the separation potential of [Co<sub>3</sub>(HCOO)<sub>6</sub>] for butane purification.
Authors
- Hao‐Long Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5007-6535)
- Yi-Peng Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3685-8509)
- Rui‐Biao Lin
- Zi-Nan Chen
- Xiaohong Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9797-8384)
- Wei Xue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0124-9433)
- Jing‐Hong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0877-6551)
Institutions
- Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- Shantou University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ChemPlusChem
- Published
- 2025-01-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/cplu.202400756
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.22
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Sun Yat-sen University