The need to develop new materials for separating mixtures of alkanes, alkenes and aromatic hydrocarbons is critical in addressing the high energy costs and inefficiency involved in the current industrial separation techniques. Current limitations in the separation of these mixtures arise from similarities in structure and physical properties. The development of MOFs could provide an efficient method of separation, with only a fraction of MOFs tested and fewer being applicable. Here we demonstrate the capability of CD-MOF-1 and CD-MOF-2, which are composed of abundant natural products to serve as a green separation media for petrochemicals and chemical feedstocks. The CD-MOF HPLC column utilizes an optimized particle size, which ensures high density packing and achieves base line separation of BTX (benzene, toluene, p-xylene, m-xylene and o-xylene) at ambient temperature without the need for multiple recycling runs. The capability of CD-MOF as a functional separation medium is also highlighted by the separation of benzene from the valuable chemical feedstock, cumene, along with further separation of cumene from other potential impurities including toluene, ethylbenzene and n-propylbenzene. CD-MOF columns may also prove extremely valuable in the separation of constitutional isomers of branched aliphatic hydrocarbons with the separation of 2,2-dimethylbutane and 2,3-dimethylbutane.

Sugar shape selectivity and the separation of petrochemicals and chemical feedstocks

248th National Meeting (2014)

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