Application of Zeotype SAPO-34 Molecular Sieve as a Selective Adsorbent for Separation of Ethylene from Ethane

Authors

School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran

Abstract

The
process of ethylene production from ethane dehydrogenation is one of the
interesting processes in the field of conversion the petroleum light gases to
the valuable products. In this process, the outlet gaseous product is a
combination of ethylene, ethane and hydrogen. Effective separation techniques
are required for separation of ethylene from unreacted ethane. Here a new
adsorbent approach is introduced for separation of ethylene from ethane. The
adsorbent is a kind of zeolite- like molecular sieve from
silico-alumino-phosphate group (SAPO-34) which is previously synthesized and
studied in the adsorption tests of ethane and ethylene. The equilibrium
adsorption experiments are performed in a static batch adsorption apparatus at
various moderate pressures and room temperature to evaluate the adsorption
capacity and selectivity toward ethylene against ethane. A high tendency of
SAPO-34 towards ethylene and the ethylene/ethane selectivity from 2 to 3 fold
in the pressure range of 200 to 800 kPa is observed, confirming the potential
application of SAPO-34 as an adsorbent in the adsorption process for separation
of ethylene and ethane. 

Keywords

Main Subjects