Novel carbon molecular sieve and pellet compositions useful for c2-c3 alkane/alkene separations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016008787-A1
Application number	US-201414763855-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 24, 2014
Priority date	Mar 27, 2013
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A novel microporous carbon molecular sieve may be used as the basis for carbon adsorbent pellets that have discrete areas of carbonized binder and of carbonized precursor, macropores having an average pore diameter greater than or equal to 1 micrometer and a total macroporosity of at least 30 percent, both as measured by mercury porosimetry, and micropores that are capable of selectively admitting a C2-C3 alkene and excluding a C2-C3 alkane, and a total microporosity ranging from 10 percent to 30 percent. The pellets may be prepared by pyrolyzing a pellet structure comprising a carbon forming, non-melting binder and a non-porous gel type sulfonated polystyrene precursor at a temperature ranging from 500° C. to 1000° C., under an inert atmosphere and other conditions suitable to form the described pellets. The pellets are particularly useful in pressure swing and temperature swing adsorption processes to separate C2-C3 alkane/alkene mixtures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A process to prepare a carbon adsorbent pellet composition comprising
combining a carbon forming, non-melting binder and a non-porous gel-type sulfonated polystyrene precursor to form a pelletizable paste; forming a raw pellet structure from the pelletizable paste; and pyrolyzing the raw pellet structure under an inert atmosphere and at a temperature ranging from 750° C. to 1000° C., to form a carbon adsorbent pellet composition having discrete areas of carbonized binder and of carbonized precursor; wherein the carbon adsorbent pellet composition comprises
macropores having an average pore diameter greater than or equal to 1 micrometer and a total macroporosity of at least 30 percent, both as measured by mercury porosimetry, and
micropores that are capable of selectively admitting a C2-C3 alkene and excluding a C2-C3 alkane and have an average pore diameter ranging from 0.38 nanometers to 0.45 nanometers, and a total microporosity ranging from 10 percent to 30 percent.

2 . The process of claim 1 wherein the carbon forming, non-melting binder is a cellulose ether.

3 . The process of claim 1 wherein the non-porous gel type sulfonated polystyrene precursor is sulfonated polystyrene ion exchange resin particles,
wherein the polystyrene contains from 2 weight percent to 16 weight percent of divinylbenzene cross linking reagent and the particles have an average diameter ranging from 1 micrometer to 100 micrometers.

4 . The process of claim 1 wherein the pyrolysis temperature ranges from 800° C. to 900° C. and the conditions include a time ranging from 1 minute to 240 minutes.

5 . (canceled)

6 . The process of claim 1 wherein the pellets range in greatest dimension from 1 millimeter to 5 millimeters and have an aspect ratio ranging from 20:1 to 1:5.

7 . A carbon adsorbent pellet composition comprising
a pellet having discrete areas of carbonized binder and of carbonized gel type sulfonated polystyrene, wherein the pellet comprises
macropores having an average pore diameter greater than or equal to 1 micrometer and a total macroporosity of at least 30 percent, both as measured by mercury porosimetry, and
micropores that are capable of selectively admitting a C2-C3 alkene and excluding a C2-C3 alkane and have an average pore diameter ranging from 0.38 nanometers to 0.45 nanometers, and a total microporosity ranging from 10 percent to 30 percent.

8 . A carbon adsorbent pellet composition prepared by a process comprising
combining a carbon forming, non-melting binder and a non-porous gel-type sulfonated polystyrene precursor to form a pelletizable paste; forming a raw pellet structure from the pelletizable paste; and pyrolyzing the raw pellet structure under an inert atmosphere and at a temperature ranging from 750° C. to 1000° C., to form a carbon adsorbent pellet composition having discrete areas of carbonized binder and of carbonized precursor; wherein the carbon adsorbent pellet composition comprises
macropores having an average pore diameter greater than or equal to 1 micrometer and a total macroporosity of at least 30 percent, both as measured by mercury porosimetry, and
micropores that are capable of selectively admitting a C2-C3 alkene and excluding a C2-C3 alkane and have an average pore diameter ranging from 0.38 nanometers to 0.45 nanometers, and a total microporosity ranging from 10 percent to 30 percent.

9 . A pressure swing or temperature swing adsorption process comprising
feeding a gas, comprising a C2-C3 alkane and a C2-C3 alkene, through a separation bed that includes the carbon adsorbent pellet composition of claim 8 ; the process being carried out under pressure swing or temperature swing adsorption conditions such that the C2-C3 alkane and the C2-C3 alkene are substantially separated from each other.

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Liu Junqiang
• Brayden Mark K
• Calverley Edward M
• Lakso Steven R
• Liu Yujun
• Martinez Marcos V

Classifications

• B01J20/3042

  Use of binding agents; addition of materials ameliorating the mechanical properties of the produced sorbent · CPC title

• B01D53/0462

  Temperature swing adsorption · CPC title

• B01J20/20 Primary

  comprising free carbon; comprising carbon obtained by carbonising processes · CPC title

• B01D2253/116

  Molecular sieves other than zeolites · CPC title

• C01B32/00

  Carbon; Compounds thereof (C01B21/00, C01B23/00 take precedence; percarbonates C01B15/10; carbon black C09C1/48) · CPC title