Abstract:
The efficient separation of ethane (C
2H
6) and ethylene (C
2H
4) is crucial for the preparation of polymer-grade C
2H
4, necessitating the development of highly selective and stable C
2H
6/C
2H
4 adsorbents. Highly graphitized porous carbon, denoted GC-800, was synthesized by polymerization at room temperature followed by carbonization at 800 °C using phenolic resin as the precursor and FeCl
3 as the iron source. Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Package (VASP) calculations confirmed a higher binding energy between C
2H
6 molecules and graphitized porous carbon surfaces, so that a high degree of graphitization increased the adsorption capacity of porous carbon for C
2H
6. However, catalytic graphitization using Fe at high temperatures disrupted the microporous structure of the carbon, thereby reducing its ability to separate C
2H
6/C
2H
4. By controlling the carbonization temperature, the degree of graphitization and pore structure of the porous carbon could be changed. Raman spectra and XPS spectra showed that the GC-800 had a high degree of graphitization, with a sp
2 C content as high as 73%. Low-temperature N
2 physical adsorption measurements estimated the specific surface area of GC-800 to be as high as 574 m
2·g
−1. At 298 K and 1 bar, it had an equilibrium adsorption capacity of 2.16 mmol·g
−1 for C
2H
6, with the C
2H
6/C
2H
4 (1∶1 and 1∶9,
v/v) ideal adsorbed solution theory selectivity respectively reaching 2.4 and 3.8, significantly higher than the values of most reported high-performance C
2H
6 selective adsorbents. Dynamic breakthrough experiments showed that GC-800 could produce high-purity C
2H
4 in a single step from a mixture of C
2H
6 and C
2H
4. Dynamic cycling tests confirmed its good cyclic stability, and that it could efficiently separate C
2H
6/C
2H
4 even under humid conditions.