Kinetic separation of propylene over propane in a microporous metal-organic framework.

Graphical abstract Highlights • C 3 H 6 /C 3 H 8 mixture could be efficient separated by a microporous MOF ELM-12 via kinetic effect. • ELM-12 exhibits faster C 3 H 6 adsorption over C 3 H 8 via diffusion controlled process with high kinetic C 3 H 6 /C 3 H 8 selectivity. • Large breakthrough time interval and fast regeneration process could be achieved in the breakthrough experiments. • Feasible scale-up production and highly stable structure under ambient condition make this MOF practically useful. Abstract Propylene (C 3 H 6)/propane (C 3 H 8) separation is one of the most challenging as well as most energy-intensive separation processes in the petrochemical industry. Herein we report a microporous metal–organic framework ELM-12 with appropriate channels where efficient separation of C 3 H 6 over C 3 H 8 is achieved via the kinetic separation effect. Time-dependent kinetic adsorption, density-functional theory calculation and breakthrough experiments collaboratively demonstrate that the considerable diffusivity difference between C 3 H 6 and C 3 H 8 accounts for the excellent separation performance of ELM-12. The high kinetic C 3 H 6 /C 3 H 8 separation factor (204 at 298 K), large breakthrough time interval, and easy regeneration process of this MOF, make it a promising adsorbent for this important separation task. Furthermore, this material is highly stable under ambient condition and its production can be easily scaled up, rendering it quite favorable for practical industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]