Efficient Separation of C <sub>2</sub> H <sub>6</sub> /C <sub>2</sub> H <sub>4</sub> and C <sub>3</sub> H <sub>8</sub> /C <sub>2</sub> H <sub>6</sub> /CH <sub>4</sub> Light Hydrocarbons Using Robust Porous Polymer Networks for C <sub>2</sub> H <sub>4

The efficient production of ultrahigh-purity C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub>, which are vital feedstocks for industrial processes and alternative energy, is increasingly in demand but remains challenging. Cryogenic distillation has been widely utilized for this purpose; however, it imposes a substantial energy burden. Herein, we report four robust porous polymer networks (PPNs), namely, <b>PPN-35</b>, <b>PPN-45</b>, <b>PPN-55</b>, and <b>PPN-65,</b> for the purification of C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> from C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> mixtures and CH<sub>4</sub> from C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub> mixtures. <b>PPN-35</b>, <b>PPN-45</b>, <b>PPN-55</b>, and <b>PPN-65</b> exhibit IAST selectivities of 1.67, 1.43, 1.24, and 1.34 for C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>; 345.33, 199.16, 135.21, and 269.93 for C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub>; 20.17, 79.73, 31.77, and 15.98 for C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>; and 61907.55, 284358.59, 18175.83, and 19484.73 for C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub>, respectively. These values demonstrate that the materials are promising candidates to replace the widely used cryogenic distillation process. To the best of our knowledge, the C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> selectivity of 1.67 achieved by <b>PPN-35</b> is the highest reported for any PPN, and the C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub>, C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>, and C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub> selectivities surpassed all those of sorbents reported in the literature. Each of the four PPNs exhibits high adsorption capacities, and their practical usability was validated through breakthrough experiments, yielding >99% purity for both C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub>. This work paves the way for exploring PPNs for light hydrocarbon separation.

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Journal
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Published
2025-12-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c20065
Primary Topic
Covalent Organic Framework Applications
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article

Efficient Separation of C 2 H 6 /C 2 H 4 and C 3 H 8 /C 2 H 6 /CH 4 Light Hydrocarbons Using Robust Porous Polymer Networks for C 2 H 4

Sayan Maiti, Hengyu Lin, Hao Wang, Abhay Kumar Mondal et al.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Covalent Organic Framework Applications
article

Efficient Separation of C 2 H 6 /C 2 H 4 and C 3 H 8 /C 2 H 6 /CH 4 Light Hydrocarbons Using Robust Porous Polymer Networks for C 2 H 4

Sayan Maiti, Hengyu Lin, Hao Wang, Abhay Kumar Mondal, Fuan Guo, Qingsheng Wang, Vladimir Bakhmoutov, Lei Fang, Hong-Cai “Joe” Zhou, Shengqian Ma, Kelechi Williams Festus
article en

Abstract

The efficient production of ultrahigh-purity C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub>, which are vital feedstocks for industrial processes and alternative energy, is increasingly in demand but remains challenging. Cryogenic distillation has been widely utilized for this purpose; however, it imposes a substantial energy burden. Herein, we report four robust porous polymer networks (PPNs), namely, <b>PPN-35</b>, <b>PPN-45</b>, <b>PPN-55</b>, and <b>PPN-65,</b> for the purification of C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> from C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> mixtures and CH<sub>4</sub> from C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub> mixtures. <b>PPN-35</b>, <b>PPN-45</b>, <b>PPN-55</b>, and <b>PPN-65</b> exhibit IAST selectivities of 1.67, 1.43, 1.24, and 1.34 for C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>; 345.33, 199.16, 135.21, and 269.93 for C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub>; 20.17, 79.73, 31.77, and 15.98 for C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>; and 61907.55, 284358.59, 18175.83, and 19484.73 for C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub>, respectively. These values demonstrate that the materials are promising candidates to replace the widely used cryogenic distillation process. To the best of our knowledge, the C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> selectivity of 1.67 achieved by <b>PPN-35</b> is the highest reported for any PPN, and the C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub>, C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>, and C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub> selectivities surpassed all those of sorbents reported in the literature. Each of the four PPNs exhibits high adsorption capacities, and their practical usability was validated through breakthrough experiments, yielding >99% purity for both C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub>. This work paves the way for exploring PPNs for light hydrocarbon separation.

ACS Applied Materials & InterfacesVol. 18(1)
University of North Texas (US), Shenzhen Polytechnic University (CN), Mitchell Institute (US), The Polytechnic University of Japan (JP), Texas A&M University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 66%
Covalent Organic Framework Applications
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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