to illustrate different theoretical and experimental approaches linking
(in qualitatively or quantitative ways) the main properties of a given adsorbent and
the industrial performances. The proposed methodologies are expected to help in the
diversification of industrially available adsorbents by integrating the process perspective from the initial stages of the adsorbent development.
Keywords Adsorption · Hydrogen · Industrial · Natural gas · Oxygen · PSA ·
Separation · SMB · VSA · Xylenes · Zeolites
1 Introduction
Separation agents and technologies have focused the attention of the research
community during the last decades. Although the progress realized in particular in
the last decades is huge, only a limited amount of separation agents and techniques is
nowadays industrially available. This fact reflects the need for well-targeted adsorbent selection criteria allowing to identify the candidates that maximize the probability of living up to the challenges of industrial operation. Indeed, besides a good
separation factor, certainly crucial to implement a given separation, several other
conditions must be fulfilled in order to meet the industrial operation criteria. These
other criteria can extend from economical ones through thermal stability or those
associated with the mechanical resistance of the material. Thus, the selection of a
given adsorbent cannot be dissociated from the foreseen associated separation
technique and vice versa. As a consequence, the need of covering the different
selection criteria rapidly reduces the amount of available candidates and positions
the family of zeolites as one of the most important group of materials. Zeolites
present several advantages like high hydrothermal stability, limited disposal problems, and a low or moderated manufacturing cost. The mentioned advantages
explain the leadership position of zeolites in the adsorbents consumption market.
Among others, the advantages of zeolites make them well adapted to oil and gas
refining, petrochemical, or air separation industries. While the mentioned longestablished industries continue growing at a maintained rate in Europe and the
USA, the Asia Pacific region is expected to experience the highest growth rate. In
parallel new applications associated with the irruption in the market of biomassbased processes or water treatment are potentially demanding of new zeolitic
adsorbents. The total consumption of synthetic zeolites was estimated to be 1.817
million ton per year in 2013 [1], while three million of additional tons of natural
zeolites are produced each year, 2/3 of which is mined in China and mostly used as a
cement additive. The most important synthetic zeolites, considering the produced
volume, are Linde Type A (LTA) and gismondine (Zeolite P, MAP), used in
detergent applications. In monetary value, they are beaten by zeolite Y presenting
the faujasite (FAU) topology, used in oil refinery catalysis.
196
J. Pérez-Pellitero and G. D. Pirngruber
(in qualitatively or quantitative ways) the main properties of a given adsorbent and
the industrial performances. The proposed methodologies are expected to help in the
diversification of industrially available adsorbents by integrating the process perspective from the initial stages of the adsorbent development.
Keywords Adsorption · Hydrogen · Industrial · Natural gas · Oxygen · PSA ·
Separation · SMB · VSA · Xylenes · Zeolites
1 Introduction
Separation agents and technologies have focused the attention of the research
community during the last decades. Although the progress realized in particular in
the last decades is huge, only a limited amount of separation agents and techniques is
nowadays industrially available. This fact reflects the need for well-targeted adsorbent selection criteria allowing to identify the candidates that maximize the probability of living up to the challenges of industrial operation. Indeed, besides a good
separation factor, certainly crucial to implement a given separation, several other
conditions must be fulfilled in order to meet the industrial operation criteria. These
other criteria can extend from economical ones through thermal stability or those
associated with the mechanical resistance of the material. Thus, the selection of a
given adsorbent cannot be dissociated from the foreseen associated separation
technique and vice versa. As a consequence, the need of covering the different
selection criteria rapidly reduces the amount of available candidates and positions
the family of zeolites as one of the most important group of materials. Zeolites
present several advantages like high hydrothermal stability, limited disposal problems, and a low or moderated manufacturing cost. The mentioned advantages
explain the leadership position of zeolites in the adsorbents consumption market.
Among others, the advantages of zeolites make them well adapted to oil and gas
refining, petrochemical, or air separation industries. While the mentioned longestablished industries continue growing at a maintained rate in Europe and the
USA, the Asia Pacific region is expected to experience the highest growth rate. In
parallel new applications associated with the irruption in the market of biomassbased processes or water treatment are potentially demanding of new zeolitic
adsorbents. The total consumption of synthetic zeolites was estimated to be 1.817
million ton per year in 2013 [1], while three million of additional tons of natural
zeolites are produced each year, 2/3 of which is mined in China and mostly used as a
cement additive. The most important synthetic zeolites, considering the produced
volume, are Linde Type A (LTA) and gismondine (Zeolite P, MAP), used in
detergent applications. In monetary value, they are beaten by zeolite Y presenting
the faujasite (FAU) topology, used in oil refinery catalysis.
196
J. Pérez-Pellitero and G. D. Pirngruber