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The separation of alkane isomers is an important yet challenging process in the petrochemical industry. Being a crucial step to produce premium gasoline components as well as optimum ethylene feed, the current industrial separation by distillation is extremely energy intensive. Adsorptive separation based on zeolite is limited by insufficient adsorption capacity. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) hold enormous promise as alternative adsorbents due to their diverse structural tunability and exceptional porosity. Precise control of their pore geometry/dimensions has led to superior performance. In this minireview, we highlight the recent progresses in developing MOFs for the separation of C6 alkane isomers. Representative MOFs are reviewed based on their separation mechanisms. Emphasis is put on the material design rationale for achieving optimal separation capability. Finally, we briefly discuss the existing challenges, possible solutions, and future directions of this important field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation of alkane isomers is an important yet challenging process in the petrochemical industry. Being a crucial step to produce premium gasoline components as well as optimum ethylene feed, the current industrial separation by distillation is extremely energy intensive. Adsorptive separation based on zeolite is limited by insufficient adsorption capacity. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) hold enormous promise as alternative adsorbents due to their diverse structural tunability and exceptional porosity. Precise control of their pore geometry/dimensions has led to superior performance. In this minireview, we highlight the recent progresses in developing MOFs for the separation of C6 alkane isomers. Representative MOFs are reviewed based on their separation mechanisms. Emphasis is put on the material design rationale for achieving optimal separation capability. Finally, we briefly discuss the existing challenges, possible solutions, and future directions of this important field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation of alkanes, particularly monobranched and dibranched isomers, is of paramount importance in the petrochemical industry for optimizing the feedstock of ethylene production as well as for upgrading the octane number of gasoline. Here, we report the full separation of linear/monobranched alkanes from their dibranched isomers by a robust and easily scalable metal‐organic framework material, Co3(HCOO)6. The compound completely excludes dibranched alkanes but adsorbs their linear and monobranched isomers, as evidenced by single‐component and multicomponent adsorption measurements. More importantly, the material exhibits excellent performance in separating naphtha and is capable of providing high quality feedstock for the production of ethylene and gasoline components with high octane number, making it a promising candidate for naphtha separation in petrochemical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkane isomers, hydrocarbon separation, metal-organic frameworks, naphtha, octane number Keywords: alkane isomers; hydrocarbon separation; metal-organic frameworks; naphtha; octane number EN alkane isomers hydrocarbon separation metal-organic frameworks naphtha octane number 11748 11748 1 08/19/21 20210816 NES 210816 B Naphtha was separated b by using a easily attainable metal-organic framework, Co SB 3 sb (HCOO) SB 6 sb , through selective molecular exclusion of alkane isomers with different degrees of branching. Cover Feature: Upgrading Octane Number of Naphtha by a Robust and Easily Attainable Metal-Organic Framework through Selective Molecular Sieving of Alkane Isomers (Chem. Eur. J. 46/2021). [Extracted from the article]