Separation of C6Paraffins Using ZeoliticImidazolate Frameworks: Comparison with Zeolite 5A.

The separation of paraffin isomers is a very importanttopic inthe petrochemical industry. Zeolite 5A is industrially used to sievealkane isomers, but its pore size does not allow the separation ofmonobranched and dibranched alkanes by a kinetic mechanism. In thispublication, we compare three ZIF materials in the separation of C6-paraffinisomers: ZIF-8, ZIF-76, and a new material called IM-22. The performanceof the materials is evaluated by a breakthrough curve of binary mixturesof n-hexane, 3-methylpentane, and 2,2-dimethylbutane.We show that ZIF-8 is a very attractive alternative to zeolite 5Abecause it exhibits a high (kinetic) selectivity for the adsorptionof linear alkanes and at the same time a high adsorption capacity.The new material IM-22, a ZIF with CHAtopology, seemsto be particularly suited for the separation of mono- and dibranchedparaffin isomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]