Efficient Purification of Ethylene from C Hydrocarbons with an CH/CH-Selective Metal-Organic Framework.

The separation of ethylene (CH) from C hydrocarbons is considered as one of the most difficult and important processes in the petrochemical industry. Heat-driven cryogenic distillation is still widely used in the C hydrocarbons separation realms, which is an energy intensive process and takes up immense space. In response to a greener, more energy-efficient sustainable development, we successfully synthesized a multifunction microporous Mg-based MOF [Mg(TCPE)(μ-OH)(DMA)]·solvents () with CH/CH selectivity based on a physical adsorption mechanism, and with outstanding stability; especially, it is stable up to 500 °C under an air atmosphere. (activated ) shows good performances in the separation of CH/CH from raw ethylene gases. In addition, its actual separation potential is also examined by IAST and dynamic column breakthrough experiments. GCMC calculation results indicate that the unique structure of is primarily conducive to the selective adsorption of CH and CH. More importantly, compared with CH, prefers to selectively adsorb CH and CH simultaneously, which makes as a sorbent have the capacity to separate CH from C hydrocarbon mixtures under mild conditions through a greener and energy-efficient separation strategy.