Vapour phase separation of alcohol-water mixtures by adsorption onto silicalite

✍ Scribed by B. Sowerby; B.D. Crittenden

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 906 KB
• Volume: 2
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0950-4214
• DOI: 10.1016/0950-4214(88)80003-3

✦ Synopsis

The ability of unbound silicalite to selectively adsorb alcohols from vapour streams containing high concentrations of water has been studied using a small packed bed. The phenomenon of roll-up was observed for both water and each alcohol studied. The uptake of water was significant. The magnitude of each roll-up and the analysis of the breakthrough curves suggest that the rate of mass transfer in the crystalline structure of silicalite not only decreases as the carbon chain length increases for straight chain alcohols (from ethanol to pentanol) but also is higher for straight chain alcohols than for the corresponding branched chain isomers. Desorption studies also show that differences exist between the rates of mass transfer of water and alcohol. The breakthrough times and equilibrium capacities confirm that the adsorptive capacity of silicalite is strongly influenced by the shape, size and organophilic nature of the alcohol.