Microwave irradiation-induced alterations in physicochemical properties and methane adsorption capability of coals:An experimental study using carbon molecular sieve

In order to comprehend the applicability of microwave irradiation for recovering coalbed methane,it is necessary to evaluate the microwave irradiation-induced alterations in coals with varying levels of metamorphism.In this work,the carbon molecular sieve combined with KMnO_(4)oxidation was selected to fabricate carbon molecular sieve with diverse oxidation degrees,which can serve as model substances toward coals.Afterwards,the microwave irradiation dependences of pores,functional groups,and highpressure methane adsorption characteristics of model substances were studied.The results indicated that microwave irradiation causes rearrangement of oxygen-containing functional groups,which could block the micropores with a size of 0.40-0.60 nm in carbon molecular sieve;meanwhile,naphthalene and phenanthrene generated by macro-molecular structure pyrolysis due to microwave irradiation could block the micropores with a size of 0.70-0.90 nm.These alterations in micropore structure weaken the saturated methane adsorption capacity of oxidized carbon molecular sieve by 2.91%-23.28%,suggesting that microwave irradiation could promote methane desorption.Moreover,the increased mesopores found for oxidized carbon molecular sieve after microwave irradiation could benefit CH4 diffusion.In summary,the oxidized carbon molecular sieve can act as model substances toward coals with different ranks.Additionally,microwave irradiation is a promising technology to enhance coalbed methane recovery.

High adsorption selectivity of activated carbon and carbon molecular sieve boosting CO_(2)/N_(2) and CH_(4)/N_(2) separation

Flue gas and coal bed methane are two important sources of greenhouse gases.Pressure swing adsorption process has a wide range of application in the field of gas separation,and the selection of adsorbent is crucial.In this regard,in order to assess the better adsorbent for separating CO_(2) from flue gas and CH_(4) from coal bed methane,adsorption isotherms of CO_(2),CH_(4) and N_(2) on activated carbon and carbon molecular sieve are measured at 303.15,318.15 and 333.15 K,and up to 250 kPa.The experimental data fit better with Langmuir 2 compared to Langmuir 3 and Langmuir-Freundlich models,and Clausius-Clapeyron equation was used to calculate the isosteric heat.Both the order of the adsorbed amount and the adsorption heat on the two adsorbents are CO_(2)>CH_(4)>N_(2).The adsorption kinetics are calculated by the pseudo-first kinetic model,and the order of adsorption rates on activated carbon is N_(2)-CH_(4)>CO_(2),while on carbon molecular sieve,it is CO_(2)-N_(2)>CH_(4).It is shown that relative molecular mass and adsorption heat are the primary effect on kinetics for activated carbon,while kinetic diameter is the main resistance factor for carbon molecular sieve.Moreover,the adsorption selectivity of CH_(4)/N_(2) and CO_(2)/N_(2) were estimated with the ideal adsorption solution theory,and carbon molecular sieve performed best at 318.15 K for both CO_(2) and CH_(4) separation.The study suggested that activated carbon is a better choice for separating flue gas and carbon molecular sieve can be a strong candidate for separating coal bed methane.

A Molecular-Sieving Interphase Towards Low-Concentrated Aqueous Sodium-Ion Batteries

Aqueous sodium-ion batteries are known for poor rechargeability because of the competitive water decomposition reactions and the high electrode solubility.Improvements have been reported by saltconcentrated and organic-hybridized electrolyte designs,however,at the expense of cost and safety.Here,we report the prolonged cycling of ASIBs in routine dilute electrolytes by employing artificial electrode coatings consisting of NaX zeolite and NaOH-neutralized perfluorinated sulfonic polymer.The as-formed composite interphase exhibits a molecularsieving effect jointly played by zeolite channels and size-shrunken ionic domains in the polymer matrix,which enables high rejection of hydrated Na^(+)ions while allowing fast dehydrated Na^(+)permeance.Applying this coating to electrode surfaces expands the electrochemical window of a practically feasible 2 mol kg^(-1) sodium trifluoromethanesulfonate aqueous electrolyte to 2.70 V and affords Na_(2)MnFe(CN)_(6)//NaTi_(2)(PO_(4))_(3) full cells with an unprecedented cycling stability of 94.9%capacity retention after 200 cycles at 1 C.Combined with emerging electrolyte modifications,this molecular-sieving interphase brings amplified benefits in long-term operation of ASIBs.

Biomimetic MXene membranes with negatively thermo-responsive switchable 2D nanochannels for graded molecular sieving

Negatively thermo-responsive 2D membranes,which mimic the stomatal opening/closing of plants,have drawn substantial interest for tunable molecular separation processes.However,these membranes are still restricted significantly on account of low water permeability and poor dynamic tunability of 2D nanochannels under temperature stimulation.Here,we present a biomimetic negatively thermo-responsive MXene membrane by covalently grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PNIPAm)onto MXene nanosheets.The uniformly grafted PNIPAm polymer chains can enlarge the interlayer spacings for increasing water permeability while also allowing more tunability of 2D nanochannels for enhancing the capability of gradually separating multiple molecules of different sizes.As expected,the constructed membrane exhibits ultrahigh water permeance of 95.6 L m^(-2) h^(-1) bar^(-1) at 25℃,which is eight-fold higher than the state-of-the-art negatively thermoresponsive 2D membranes.Moreover,the highly temperature-tunable 2D nanochannels enable the constructed membrane to perform excellent graded molecular sieving for dye-and antibiotic-based ternary mixtures.This strategy provides new perspectives in engineering smart 2D membrane and expands the scope of temperature-responsive membranes,showing promising applications in micro/nanofluidics and molecular separation.

Preparation and Characterization of Stellera Chamaejasme-Based Carbon Molecular Sieves

The activation effect of boric acid as an activator is good,and we investigate the best activation conditions for the boric acid impregnation method.To represent the structural characteristics and adsorption performance of the Stellera Chamaejasme based carbon molecular sieves,we use Brunner-Emmet-Teller(BET)measurements,scan-ning electron microscope(SEM),Raman spectra(Raman),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and adsorption property measurement.When the loading ratio was 0.68:1,the specific surface area was 532.21 m^(2)/g,the total pore volume was 0.24 cm 3/g,the average pore size was 1.81 nm,the adsorption value of methylene blue was 145.28 mg/g,and the adsorption value of iodine was 713.33 mg/g,the results showed that boric acid had better activation effect.The carbon molecular sieves made from Stellera Chamaejasme and activated with boric acid produce two peaks on the aperture distribution graph that are densely distributed in the micropore range.This indicates that boric acid’s pore-forming tendency is primarily micropore.

Synthesis of ZSM-22/SAPO-11 composite molecular sieve-based catalysts with small crystallites and superior n-alkane hydroisomerization performance

To improve oil quality,ZSM-22/SAPO-11 composite molecular sieves were synthesized by adding ZSM-22 into a synthetic gel of SAPO-11 for n-decane hydroisomerization.The mass ratios of ZSM-22/(ZSM-22+SAPO-11)in the composite molecular sieves were optimized and the optimal ZSM-22/SAPO-11 composite(ZS-9)was obtained.The electrostatic repulsions between the ZSM-22 precursors and the SAPO-11 crystalline nuclei produced small ZSM-22 and SAPO-11 crystallites in ZS-9,which increased the specific surface area and mesopore volume and thereby exposed more acid sites.In comparison with conventional SAPO-11,ZSM-22 and their mechanical mixture,ZS-9 with smaller crystallites and the optimal medium and strong Brønsted acid centers(MSBAC)content displayed a higher yield of branched C_(10) isomers(81.6%),lower cracking selectivity(11.9%)and excellent stability.The correlation between the i-C_(10) selectivity and the MSBAC density of molecular sieves indicated that the selectivity for branched C_(10) isomers first increased and then decreased with increasing MSBAC density on the molecular sieves,and the maximum selectivity(87.7%)occurred with a density of 9.6×10^(−2)μmol m^(−2).

MODELING AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF ONBOARD MOLECULAR SIEVE OXYGEN GENERATION SYSTEM

A mathematical model for simulating concentric-bed and other components of molecular sieve oxygen concentrator is established. In the model, the binary Langmuir equilibrium adsorption equation is adopted to describe the adsorption performance of the adsorbent, the linear driving force (LDF) model is used to describe the mass transfer rate, and the thermal effect during adsorption is considered. The finite difference method is used in simulation and comparison. Numerical results have a reasonable agreement with the experimental research.

STUDY ON THE THREE PHASE EQUILIBRIA OF ETHANOL WATER 4A MOLECULAR SIEVE

Vapor liquid solid three phase equilibria of ethanol water 4A molecular sieve system are studied experimentally and theoritically. It is proved that the addition of adsorbent does not change the equilibrium relation between vapor and bulk liquid phase. A calculation procedure is proposed to predict vapor liquid solid (adsorbent) three phase euquilibria.

The synthesis of Co-doped SAPO-5 molecular sieve and its performance in the oxidation of cyclohexane with molecular oxygen

Silicoaluminophosphate（SAPO） molecular sieves doped with cobalt（Co-SAPO-5） were synthesized hydrothermally with different concentrations of Co.Each sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction,N2 adsorption-desorption,scanning electron microscopy,ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy,temperature-programmed desorption of NH3（NH3-TPD）,and infrared spectrascopy of adsorbed pyridine（Py-IR）.The results showed that Co was highly dispersed in the Co-SAPO-5 samples.In addition,a part of the Co content had been incorporated into the SAPO-5 framework,while the remainder existed on the surface as extra-framework Co.The surface areas of the Co-SAOP-5 samples were similar to the SAPO-5 sample.However,the pore volumes of the Co-SAOP-5 samples were lower than that of the SAOP-5 sample.As the concentration of Co increased,the pore volume gradually decreased because extra-framework cobalt oxide was present on the catalyst surface.NH3-TPD and Py-IR results revealed that the amount of Br（？）nsted acid and the total amount of acid for the Co-SAPO-5 samples were higher than that for the SAPO-5 sample.These values were also higher for samples with higher Co content.The catalytic activity of the Co-SAPO-5 samples was evaluated for the oxidation of cyclohexane with molecular oxygen.When Co was added to the SAPO-5 catalyst,the catalytic activity of the Co-SAPO-5 catalysts improved.In addition,the conversion of cyclohexane increased as the Co content in the Co-SAPO-5 catalysts increased.However,with a high conversion of cyclohexane（6.30%）,the total selectivity of cyclohexanone（K） and cyclohexanol（A） decreased sharply.The K/A ratio ranged from 1.15 to 2.47.The effects of reaction conditions（i.e.,reaction temperature,reaction time,initial oxygen pressure,and the catalyst amount） on the performance of the Co-SAPO-5 catalysts have also been measured.Furthermore,the stability of the Co-SAPO-5 catalyst was explored and found to be good for the selective oxidation of cyclohexane by molecular oxygen.

CH4/N2 separation on methane molecules grade diameter channel molecular sieves with a CHA-type structure

Samples of methane molecules grade diameter channel CHA-type molecular sieves(Chabazite-K, SAPO-34 and SSZ-13) were investigated using the adsorption separation of CH4/N2 mixtures. The isotherms recorded for CH4 and N2 follow a typical type-Ι behavior, which were fitted well with the Sips model(R2>0.999) and the selectivity was calculated using IAST theory. The results reveal that Chabazite-K has the highest selectivity(SCH4/N= 5.5).2 SSZ-13 has the largest capacity, which can adsorb up to a maximum of 30.957 cm3·g-1(STP) of CH4, due to it having the largest pore volume and surface area, but the lowest selectivity(SCH4/N2= 2.5). From the breakthrough test, we can conclude that SSZ-13 may be a suitable candidate for the recovery of CH4 from low concentration methane(CH4<20%) based on its larger pore volume and higher CH4 capacity. Chabazite-K is more suited to the separation of high concentration methane(CH4>50%) due to its higher selectivity.

Catalytic Transformation of Bio-oil to Olefins with Molecular Sieve Catalysts

Catalytic conversion of bio-oil into light olefins was performed by a series of molecular sieve catalysts, including HZSM-5, MCM-41, SAPO-34 and Y-zeolite. Based on the light olefins yield and its carbon selectivity, the production of light olefins decreased in the following order： HZSM-5〉SAPO-34〉MCM-41〉Y-zeolite. The highest olefins yield from bio-oil using HZSM- 5 catalyst reached 0.22 kg/kgbio-oil with carbon selectivity of 50.7% and a nearly complete bio-oil conversion. The reaction conditions and catalyst characterization were investigated in detail to reveal the relationship between the catalyst structure and the production of olefins. The comparison between the pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of bio-oil was also performed.

Kinetics and Mechanism of the Photo-oxidation of Thiophene by O_2 Adsorbed on Molecular Sieves

Photochemical oxidation of thiophene in n-octane/water extraction system using O2 as oxidant was studied. The reaction mechanism ofthiophene oxidation was proposed. Results obtained here can be used as the reference for the oxidative desulfurization of gasoline because thiophene is one of the main components containing sulfur in fluid catalytic cracking gasoline. Thiophene dissolved in n-octane was photodecomposed and removed into the water phase at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. A 500 W high-pressure mercury lamp （main wave length 365 nm, 0.22 kW/m） was used as light source for irradiation, and air was introduced by a gas pump to supply O2. Thiophene can be photo-oxidized to sulfone, oxalic acid, SO4^2-, and CO2. The desulfurization yield of thiophene in n-octane is 58.9% under photo-irradiation for 5 h under the conditions of air flow at 150 mL/min and V（water）：V（n-octane）=1：1. It can be improved to 92.3% by adding 0.15 g zeoliteartificial into 100 mL reaction system, which is the adsorbent for O2 and thiophene. And under such conditions, the photo-oxidation kinetics of thiophene with O2/zeoliteartificial is first-order with an apparent rate constant of 0.5047 h^-1 and a half-time of 1.37 h. The sulfur content can be depressed from 800 μL/L to less than 62 μL/L.

Oxidative Desulfurization of Simulated Gasoline over Metal Oxide-loaded Molecular Sieve

A simulated gasoline consisting of model sulfur compounds of thiophene （C4H4S） and 3-methythiophene （3-MC4H4S） dissolved in n-heptane was tested for the oxidative desulfurization in the hydrogen peroxide （H202） and formic acid oxidative system over metal oxide-loaded molecular sieve. The effects of the oxidative system, loaded metal oxides, phase transfer catalyst, the addition of olefin and aromatics on sulfur removal were investigated in details. The results showed that the sulfur removal rate of simulated gasoline in the H202/formic acid system was higher than in other oxidative systems. The cerium oxide-loaded molecular sieve was found very active catalyst for oxidation of simulated gasoline in this system. The sulfur removal rates of C4H4S and 3-MC4H4S were enhanced when phase transfer catalyst （PTC） was added. However, the sulfur removal rate of simulated gasoline was reduced with the addition of olefin and aromatics.

Selective synthesis of triacetin from glycerol catalyzed by HZSM-5/MCM-41 micro/mesoporous molecular sieve

HZSM-5/MCM-41 molecular sieve (H-ZM) catalysts with well-defined micro/mesoporous structures were synthesized and showed high performance for selective synthesis of triacetin via the esterification reaction of glycerol with acetic acid. The conversion of glycerol was demonstrated to be 100% and the triacetin selectivity was over 91%, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect regarding suitable acidic property, excellent diffusion efficiency and good stability derived from the combined advantages of microporous molecular sieve HZSM-5 and mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41.

Beyond graphene oxides: Emerging 2D molecular sieve membranes for efficient separation☆

Recent decades witnessed the significant progress made in the research field of 2D molecular sieve membranes.In comparison with their 3D counterparts, 2D molecular sieve membranes possessed several unique advantages like significantly reduced membrane thickness(one atom thick in theory) and diversified molecular sieving mechanisms(in-plane pores within nanosheets & interlayer galleries between nanosheets). M. Tsapatsis first carried out pioneering work on fabrication of lamellar ZSM-5 membrane. Since then, diverse 2D materials typically including graphene oxides(GOs) have been fabricated into membranes showing promising prospects in energy-efficient gas separation, pervaporation, desalination and nanofiltration. In addition to GOs, other emerging 2D materials, including 2D zeolites, 2D metal–organic frameworks(MOFs), 2 D covalent-organic frameworks(COFs), layered double hydroxides(LDHs), transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDCs), MXenes(typically Ti3C2TX), graphitic carbon nitrides(typically g-C3N4), hexagonal boron nitride(h-BN) and montmorillonites(MT) are showing intriguing performance in membrane-based separation process. This article summarized the most recent developments in the field of 2D molecular sieve membranes aside from GOs with particular emphasis on their structure–performance relationship and application prospects in industrial separation.

Investigation of ZSM-5/MCM-41 Composite Molecular Sieve for Reducing Olefin Content of FCC Gasoline

ZSM-5/MCM-41 composite molecular sieve was prepared by the nano-assembling method.The ZSM-5 molecular sieve,the MCM-41 molecular sieve,the ZSM-5/MCM-41 mechanical mixture and the ZSM-5/MCM-41 composite molecular sieve were characterized by X-ray powder diffractometry,N_2 adsorption isotherms,temperature programmed desorption of ammonia and scanning electron microscopy and their properties were analyzed.Using FCC gasoline as the feed,activities of different molecular sieves for reducing olefin content were investigated in a continuous high-pressure micro-reactor unit under the following conditions:a reaction temperature of 400℃,a reaction time of 2 h,a weight hourly space velocity of 3h^(-1),and a reaction pressure of 2.0 MPa.The results showed that the HMCM-41 molecular sieve had low reaction performance,and the HZSM-5 molecular sieve demonstrated high aromatization activity,while the ZSM-5/MCM- 41 composite molecular sieve exhibited a best olefin-reducing performance because of its high isomerization activity and moderate aromatization activity.With a largest olefin-reducmg capability and a reasonable distribution of products,the composite molecular sieve was more suitable for FCC gasoline upgrading compared to other three catalysts.

Direct Synthesis of Dimethyl Carbonate from CO_2 and CH_3OH Using 0.4nm Molecular Sieve Supported Cu-Ni Bimetal Catalyst

The 0.4 nm molecular sieve supported Cu-Ni bimetal catalysts for direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from CO 2 and CH 3 OH were prepared and investigated. The synthesized catalysts were fully characterized by BET, XRD (X-ray diffraction), TPR (temperature programmed reduction), IR (infra-red adsorption), NH 3-TPD (temperature programmed desorption) and CO 2-TPD (temperature programmed desorption) techniques. The results showed that the surface area of catalysts decreased with increasing metal content, and the metals as well as Cu-Ni alloy co-existed on the reduced catalyst surface. There existed interaction between metal and carrier, and moreover, metal particles affected obviously the acidity and basicity of carrier. The large amount of basic sites facilitated the activation of methanol to methoxyl species and their subsequent reaction with activated carbon dioxide. The catalysts were evaluated in a continuous tubular fixed-bed micro-gaseous reactor and the catalyst with bimetal loading of 20% (by mass) had best catalytic activities. Under the conditions of 393 K, 1.1 MPa, 5 h and gas space velocity of 510 h 1 , the selectivity and yield of DMC were higher than 86.0 % and 5.0 %, respectively.

Ultraselective carbon molecular sieve membrane for hydrogen purification

Hydrogen is a green clean fuel and chemical feedstock. Its separation and purification from hydrogencontaining mixtures is the key step in the production of hydrogen with high purity(>99.99%). In this work, carbon molecular sieve(CMS) membranes with ultrahigh permselectivity for hydrogen purification were fabricated by high-temperature(700–900 ℃) pyrolysis of polymeric precursor of phenolphthaleinbased cardo poly(arylene ether ketone)(PEK-C). The evolution of the microstructural texture and ultramicroporous structure and gas separation performance of the CMS membrane were characterized via TG-MS, FT-IR, XRD, TEM, CO2 sorption analysis and gas permeation measurements. CMS membranes prepared at 700 ℃ exhibited amorphous turbostratic carbon structures and high H2 permeability of 5260 Barrer with H2/CH4, H2/N2 and H2/CO selectivities of 311, 142, 75, respectively. When carbonized at900 ℃, the CMS membrane with ultrahigh H2/CH4 selectivity of 1859 was derived owing to the formation of the dense and ordered carbon structure. CMS membranes with ultrahigh permselectivity exhibit an attractive application prospect in hydrogen purification.

Molding of Molecular Sieve Residues and Their Application in Cleaning Oily Wastewater

To deeply clean oily wastewater,molecular sieve residues(MSRs)were sufficiently recycled and utilized due to their high specific surface area,porous structure,and outstanding adsorption property.Molding MSRs(MMSRs)were prepared by adding additives(starch,citric acid,and soluble glass)to MSRs and were then filled into a fixed bed for adsorbing and separating the oil in wastewater.Sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate was used to modify the MMSRs,and their adsorption property was also investigated.In addition,the MSRs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis,and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.The results indicated that MMSRs satisfied the filling requirement of fixed bed,and their dynamic adsorption capacity could reach 0.1854 mg g^?1.Furthermore,the static adsorption capacity of MMSRs achieved 1.7346 mg g^?1 in the optimum conditions,and the oil adsorption performance of modified MMSRs was further enhanced.Therefore,this work suggests that MSRs are promising alternatives in cleaning oily wastewater.