Method for gas separation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017348670-A1
Application number	US-201515535692-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 24, 2015
Priority date	Dec 17, 2014
Publication date	Dec 7, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen, comprising contacting the feed with an adsorbent comprising a porous support wherein the porous support comprises exchangeable cations and at least a portion of the exchangeable cations are organic cations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen, comprising contacting the feed with an adsorbent comprising a porous support wherein the porous support comprises exchangeable cations and at least a portion of the exchangeable cations are organic cations, wherein the porous support has pore diameters large enough to adsorb a hydrocarbon of interest.

2 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen of claim 1 , wherein one of the at least one hydrocarbons is methane.

3 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen according to claim 1 , wherein the porous support is selected from coordinated polymeric materials, including metal organic frameworks, aluminosilicates, zeolites, zeolite-like metal-organic frameworks, molecular sieves, titanosilicates, layered hydroxides or hydrotalcites.

4 . (canceled)

5 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen according to claim 1 , wherein the porous support is a zeolite, where the zeolite is selected from the group consisting of ferrierite, brewsterite, stilbite, dachiardite, epistilbite, heulandite and clinoptilolite, and where the zeolite has faujasite, Linde type A or chabazite topology.

6 - 7 . (canceled)

8 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen according to claim 5 , wherein the zeolite has a Si/Al ratio of 2-20.

9 - 10 . (canceled)

11 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen according to claim 1 , wherein the organic cation is from an ionic liquid, including organic cations such as a substituted ammonium cation, a substituted phosphonium cation or an organic nitrogen-containing cation, or where the organic cation is selected from the group consisting of monomethylammonium, dimethylammoinium, trimethylammonium, tetramethylammonium, monoethylammonium, diethylammonium, triethylammonium, tetraethylammonium, monopropylammonium, dipropylammonium, tripropylammonium, tetrapropylammonium, monobutylammonium, dibutylammonium, tributylammonium and tetrabutylammonium.

12 - 13 . (canceled)

14 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen according to claim 1 , wherein the organic cation content of the porous support is at least 5% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 10% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 20% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 30% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 40% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 50% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 60% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 70% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 80% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate at least 90% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate.

15 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen according to claim 1 , wherein, the selectivity for methane over nitrogen is at least 5.

16 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen according to claim 1 , wherein the feed includes coal mining gas, biogas and LNG vent gas.

17 . A method for separating at least one hydrocarbon from a feed containing a mixture of at least one hydrocarbon and nitrogen according to claim 1 , wherein the methane content of the feed is from 1% to 50%.

18 . An adsorbent comprising a porous support wherein the porous support comprises exchangeable cations and at least a portion of the exchangeable cations are organic cations, wherein the porous support has pore diameters large enough to adsorb a hydrocarbon of interest.

19 . An adsorbent according to claim 18 , wherein the porous support is a silicate such as an aluminosilicate, or a zeolite, a zeolite-like metal-organic framework, a molecular sieve, a layered hydroxide or a hydrotalcite.

20 . (canceled)

21 . An adsorbent according to claim 18 , wherein the porous support is a zeolite.

22 . An adsorbent according to claim 21 , wherein the zeolite is selected from the group consisting of ferrierite, brewsterite, stilbite, dachiardite, epistilbite, heulandite, chabazite and clinoptilolite.

23 . An adsorbent according to claim 21 , wherein the zeolite is an X zeolite of a Y zeolite.

24 . An adsorbent according to claim 21 , wherein the zeolite has a Si/Al ratio of 2-20.

25 - 26 . (canceled)

27 . An adsorbent according to claim 18 , wherein the organic cation is from an ionic liquid.

28 . An adsorbent according to claim 18 , wherein the organic cation is a substituted ammonium cation, a substituted phosphonium cation or an organic nitrogen-containing cation.

29 . An adsorbent according to claim 18 , wherein the organic cation is selected from the following: monomethylammonium, dimethylammoinium, trimethylammonium, tetramethylammonium, monoethylammonium, diethylammonium, triethylammonium, tetraethylammonium, monopropylammonium, dipropylammonium, tripropylammonium, tetrapropylammonium, monobutylammonium, dibutylammonium, tributylammonium and tetrabutylammonium.

30 . An adsorbent according to claim 18 , wherein the organic cation content of the porous support is at least 5% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 10% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 20% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 30% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 40% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 50% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 60% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 70% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate; at least 80% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate at least 90% of the ion-exchangeable cations in the aluminosilicate.

Assignees

• Univ Western Australia
• Chevron Usa Inc

Inventors

• Li Gang
• May Eric Freemantle
• Webley Paul Anthony
• Huang Stanley Hsing-Wei
• Chan Kaman Ida

Classifications

• B01J20/165

  Natural alumino-silicates, e.g. zeolites · CPC title

• B01D53/047

  Pressure swing adsorption · CPC title

• B01D2253/204

  Metal organic frameworks (MOF's) · CPC title

• B01D2253/1085

  characterized by a silicon-aluminium ratio · CPC title

• B01J20/041

  Oxides or hydroxides · CPC title