Adsorption of ethane and ethylene on modified ETS-10

Ethylene and ethane adsorption isotherms were measured for Engelhard Titanosilicate (ETS-10) both as made in the sodium form and ion exchanged with different mono-, di-, and trivalent cations. Isotherms for Na-, K-, and Ag-ETS-10 were found to be nearly rectangular indicating very strong adsorption. In contrast, isotherms for Li-, Ba-, and Cu-ETS-10 show substantial curvature. Isotherms for some mixed cation forms (such as Ba/H and La/H) demonstrate the weakest adsorption with substantial adsorption swing capacity between 1 and 200 kPa. Using the ideal adsorption solution theory (IAST), it was determined that ethylene/ethane adsorption selectivity decreases in the order Na>K>Li>Cu≈Ba>Ba/H>La/HNa>K>Li>Cu≈Ba>Ba/H>La/H, while the adsorption swing capacity (from 1 to 200 kPa) shows an exactly reversed trend. It is thus probable to find the right balance between selectivity and swing capacity in order to design appropriate pressure swing adsorption (PSA) processes for the separation of ethylene and ethane under a wide range of conditions.