Developing efficient adsorbents for Pressure-Swing Adsorption separations of Kr and Xe is topic of interest in the gas adsorption community, particularly for the disposal of fission gas containing <sup>85</sup>Kr. In this work, we have examined several purely siliceous zeolites for their ability to perform the Xe/Kr separation. Our primary measurements are single gas isotherms on a gas adsorption analyzer fitted with cryostat taken near room temperature for Xe and near 250K for Kr. To gauge each material’s performance, we calculate heats of adsorption for both gases by Clausius-Clapeyron equation and Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory’s selectivity from fit experimental isotherms taken at 250K. In addition, we study effects of calcination and activation conditions on the materials via the measured surface area and other related values. Based on the observed data, we conclude that MFI looks to be a promising material for Xe/Kr separation and we analyze the relative performance of the materials and compare them to a recent theoretical study published by our group.

Measuring siliceous zeolites for Xe/Kr separations

251st National Meeting (2016)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.