Metal organic framework based water capture apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11565236-B2
Application number	US-201916766379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2019
Priority date	Aug 16, 2018
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus for capturing a water content from a water containing gas, the apparatus comprising: a housing having an inlet into which the water containing gas can flow; a water adsorbent located in the housing, the water adsorbent comprising at least one water adsorbent metal organic framework composite capable of adsorbing a water content from the water containing gas; and a water desorption arrangement in contact with and/or surrounding the water adsorbent, the water desorption arrangement being selectively operable between (i) a deactivated state, and (ii) an activated state in which the arrangement is configured to apply heat, a reduced pressure or a combination thereof to the water adsorbent to desorb a water content from the water adsorbent.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for capturing a water content from a water containing gas, the apparatus comprising:
a housing having an inlet into which the water containing gas can flow;
a water adsorbent enclosed within the housing, the water adsorbent comprising at least one water adsorbent metal organic framework composite capable of adsorbing a water content from the water containing gas, the metal organic framework composite comprising: at least 50 wt % water adsorbent metal organic framework; and at least 0.1 wt % hydrophilic binder comprising a hydrophilic cellulose derivative; and
a water desorption arrangement in contact with and/or surrounding the water adsorbent, which includes at least one heat transfer arrangement in direct thermal conductive contact with the water adsorbent and that water adsorbent is housed within or coated on at least part of the heat transfer arrangement, the water desorption arrangement being selectively operable between (i) a deactivated state, and (ii) an activated state in which the water desorption arrangement is configured to apply heat to the water adsorbent to desorb a water content from the water adsorbent.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic binder comprises an alkyl cellulose, hydroxyalkyl cellulose, or carboxyalkyl cellulose derivative.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the hydrophilic binder is selected from at least one of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, or carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC).

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer arrangement is in thermal conductive contact with a heating device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the heat transfer arrangement includes at least one heat transfer element that extends from the heating device to the water adsorbent.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , further including a condenser system for cooling the product gas flow from the water adsorbent, wherein the heating device comprises at least one peltier device and each peltier device has a hot side and a cold side, with the hot side of each peltier device being in thermal communication with the at least one heat transfer arrangement, and the cold side of each peltier device forming part of the condenser system.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cold side of each peltier device is in thermal communication with at least one heat transfer arrangement.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the peltier device is capable of heating the packed bed to at least 50° C.

9. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the heat transfer arrangement comprises a heat sink having a plate or fin arrangement.

10. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the heat transfer arrangement comprises a plurality of spaced apart heat transfer elements, and wherein the water adsorbent is housed as a packed bed between at least two heat transfer elements.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , further including at least one fluid displacement device to drive fluid flow through the packed bed.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the inlet includes at least one fluid seal movable from an open position to allow gas to flow through the inlet, and a closed position where the inlet is substantially sealed closed to gas flow, wherein the fluid seal comprises at least one movable door, a least one pivotable plate or flap, or at least one louver.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the metal organic framework composite comprises a coating applied to the surface of the water desorption arrangement.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the metal organic framework composite comprises a shaped water adsorbent composite body having at least one mean dimension of greater than 0.5 mm.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the shaped water adsorbent composite body comprises an elongate body having a circular, or regular polygonal cross-sectional shape.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the water adsorbent metal organic framework comprises at least one of aluminium fumarate, MOF-801, MOF-841, M 2 Cl 2 BTDD including Co 2 Cl 2 BTDD, Cr-soc-MOF-1, MIL-101(Cr), CAU-10, alkali metal (Li + or Na + ) doped MIL-101(Cr), MOF-303, MOF-573, MOF-802, MOF-805, MOF-806, MOF-808, MOF-812, or mixtures thereof.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising between 0.2 and 5 wt % hydrophilic binder.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the water adsorbent metal organic framework includes a metal ion is selected from Fe 3+ , Li + , Na + , Ca 2+ , Zn 2+ , Zr 4+ , Al 3+ , K + , Mg 2+ , Ti 4+ , Cu 2+ , Mn 2+ to Mn 7+ , Ag + , or a combination thereof.

19. A method of capturing a water content from a water containing gas, comprising at least one cycle of:
feeding a water containing gas through the inlet of a housing and over a water adsorbent enclosed within the housing such that the water adsorbent adsorbs water from the water containing gas, the water adsorbent comprising at least one water adsorbent metal organic framework composite capable of adsorbing a water content from the water containing gas, the metal organic framework composite comprising: at least 50 wt % water adsorbent metal organic framework; and at least 0.1 wt % hydrophilic binder comprising a hydrophilic cellulose derivative;
operating at least one water desorption arrangement to change from an inactive state to an activated state to apply heat, a reduced pressure or a combination thereof to the water adsorbent so to release at least a portion of the adsorbed water therefrom into a product fluid flow; and
directing the product fluid flow to a condenser system to separate a water content from the product fluid flow,
wherein the water desorption arrangement is in contact with and/or surrounding the water adsorbent.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein operating the at least one water desorption arrangement comprises operating at least one peltier device to heat water adsorbent so to release at least a portion of the adsorbed water therefrom into the product fluid.

Assignees

• Commw Scient Ind Res Org

Inventors

• Mulet Xavier
• Konstas Kristina
• Thornton Aaron
• Hesselmann Matthias
• Herrmann Stefan

Classifications

• B01J20/3441

  Regeneration or reactivation by electric current, ultrasound or irradiation, e.g. electromagnetic radiation such as X-rays, UV, light, microwaves · CPC title

• B01J20/2803

  Sorbents comprising a binder, e.g. for forming aggregated, agglomerated or granulated products · CPC title

• F25B2321/02

  using Peltier effects; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effects · CPC title

• B01D53/0438

  Cooling or heating systems · CPC title

• B01D53/0423

  Beds in columns · CPC title