Space Travel News  
OIL AND GAS
Metal-organic frameworks cut energy consumption of petrochemicals
by Staff Writers
Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Mar 21, 2018

illustration only

In the chemical and the petrochemical industries, separating molecules in an energy-efficient way is one of the most important challenges. Overall, the separation processes account for around 40% of the energy consumed in the petrochemical industry, and reducing this can help addressing anthropogenic carbon emissions.

One of the most important products in the petrochemical industry is propylene, which is widely used in fibers, foams, plastics etc. Purifying propylene almost always requires separating it from propane.

Currently this is done by cryogenic distillation, where the two gases are liquefied by being cooled to sub-zero temperatures. This gives the propylene-propane separation process a very large energy footprint.

A solution is to use "metal-organic frameworks" (MOF's). These are porous, crystalline polymers made of metal nodes that are linked together by organic ligands. The pores in their molecular structure allow MOFs to capture molecules so efficiently that they are now prime candidates in carbon-capture research.

In terms of separating molecules, MOF-based membranes are among the highest performers, and can carry out the propylene-propane separation at ambient temperature. One MOF called ZIF-8 (zeolitic imidazolium frameworks-8), allows propylene to diffuse through its pores 125 times more efficiently than propane at 30oC, offering high selectivity without the need for sub-zero temperatures.

"The main challenge with this approach is to synthesize high-quality, ultrathin, MOF films on commercial porous substrates without complicated substrate modifications," says Professor Kumar Varoon Agrawal at EPFL.

"Such high-quality films have fewer defects and are necessary for obtaining the highest possible separation selectivity." His lab at EPFL Sion has now developed a straightforward MOF crystallization approach called "electrophoretic nuclei assembly for crystallization of highly-intergrown thin-films" (ENACT).

The ENACT method allows simple regulation of the heterogeneous nucleation on unmodified (as-obtained) porous and nonporous substrates. This in turn facilitates the synthesis of ultrathin, highly intergrown polycrystalline MOF films.

The lab used the ENACT method to synthesize 500-nm-thick MOF membranes. When they tested them, the membranes yielded one of the best separation performances in propylene/propane separation recorded to date. The ultrathin film yielded large propylene permeance (flux normalized with pressure difference), which will help reduce the membrane area needed for industrial applications.

The group concludes that the versatile, straightforward ENACT method can be extended to a wide-range of nanoporous crystals.

G. He., M. Dakhchoune, J. Zhao, S. Huang, K. V. Agrawal. Electrophoretic Nuclei Assembly for Crystallization of High Performance Membranes on Unmodified Supports. Advanced Functional Materials, 2018. DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201707427


Related Links
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


OIL AND GAS
Energy at the heart of sustainable development, IEA says
Washington (UPI) Mar 19, 2018
Universal access to electricity and a bigger footprint for renewable energy are critical to sustainable development, though progress is lacking, the IEA said. "It is clear that the energy sector must be at the heart of efforts to lead the world on a more sustainable pathway," Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, said in a statement Monday. "But our data and analysis show that the current and planned policies fall well short of achieving our critical energy-rel ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

OIL AND GAS
OIL AND GAS
360 Video: Tour a Mars Robot Test Lab

Next NASA Mars Rover Reaches Key Manufacturing Milestone

Asteroids and comets shower Mars with organics

Opportunity is Halfway Down the Valley

OIL AND GAS
'Luna City 2175' will take audience to a future community grappling with how to be civilized

Scientists Share Ideas for Gateway Activities Near the Moon

The moon formed inside a vaporized Earth synestia

Research details mineralogy of potential lunar exploration site

OIL AND GAS
Jupiter's turmoil more than skin deep: researchers

New Horizons Chooses Nickname for 'Ultimate' Flyby Target

Jupiter's Great Red Spot getting taller as it shrinks

Jupiter's Jet-Streams Are Unearthly

OIL AND GAS
Yale's Expres Instrument ready to find the next Earth Analog

NASA's Kepler Spacecraft Nearing the End as Fuel Runs Low

Study sheds light on the genetic origins of the two sexes

Heat shock system helps bug come back to life after drying up

OIL AND GAS
Ukraine eyes new Spaceport downunder

It's Business Time at Rocket Lab

Elon Musk plans to launch spacecraft for Mars in 2019

SpaceX carries out 50th launch of Falcon 9 rocket

OIL AND GAS
China moving ahead with plans for next-generation X-ray observatory

China to launch Long March-5B rocket in 2019

Satellite will test plan for global China led satcom network

China plans rocket sea-launch

OIL AND GAS
Russian physicists make toy asteroids and blast them with a laser

Lessons from the Tunguska event

Comet Chury formed by a catastrophic collision

Watch an asteroid pass between Earth and the moon on Friday









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.