Separating Xylene Isomers with a Calcium Metal-Organic Framework

作者：Yu, Liang; Zhang, Jian; Ullah, Saif; Yao, Jinze; Luo, Haoyuan; Huang, Jiajin; Xia, Qibin^*; Thonhauser, Timo; Li, Jing; Wang, Hao^*

来源：Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, 2023, 62(41).

DOI：10.1002/anie.202310672

• Adsorptive Separation
• Metal-Organic Frameworks
• Size-Exclusion
• Xylene Isomers

The purification of p-xylene (pX) from its xylene isomers represents a challenging but important industrial process. Herein, we report the efficient separation of pX from its ortho- and meta- isomers by a microporous calcium-based metal-organic framework material (HIAM-203) with a flexible skeleton. At 30 & DEG;C, all three isomers are accommodated but the adsorption kinetics of o-xylene (oX) and m-xylene (mX) are substantially slower than that of pX, and at an elevated temperature of 120 & DEG;C, oX and mX are fully excluded while pX can be adsorbed. Multicomponent column breakthrough measurements and vapor-phase/liquid-phase adsorption experiments have demonstrated the capability of HIAM-203 for efficient separation of xylene isomers. Ab initio calculations have provided useful information for understanding the adsorption mechanism.