Glycol-infused cross-linked resin beads: hybrid liquid-solid desiccants

A C TLiCl-impregnated polyacrylate desiccants can have a very high water uptake capacity; however, they often require a support matrix and have limited efficacy at low relative humidity.An alternative liquid-polymer composite desiccant can be made by simply combining commercially available crosslinked divinylbenzene beads with polyethylene glycol oligomers and lithium chloride salt.By incorporating these liquids into the mesoporous pore space of these porous resin beads, the effective area for liquid-gas contact is significantly improved without any complex infrastructure.When loaded with glycol oligomers, the resulting material exists in the form of free-flowing beads with a high gas permeability and mechanical strength when placed on their own in a drying column.With this manufacturing approach, highly viscous lithium chlorideinfused glycols with a low evaporation rate can become an effective desiccant achieving a low dew point in column breakthrough experiments.A capacity of 0.65 g per gram of sorbent and a dew point depression of over 45 C was attained.