Struct Bond (2020) 184: 195–226
https://doi.org/10.1007/430_2020_75
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Published online: 11 October 2020
Industrial Zeolite Applications for Gas
Adsorption and Separation Processes
Javier Pérez-Pellitero and Gerhard D. Pirngruber
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
2 What Is Expected from an Ideal Industrial Adsorbent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
3 Overview of Commercial Zeolites and Their Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
4 Main Industrial Separative Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
4.1 Natural Gas and Air Drying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
4.2 Oxygen Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
4.3 Hydrogen Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
4.4 CO 2 Separations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
4.5 n-Paraffin/i-Paraffin Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
4.6 Xylene Isomers Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
4.7 Other Industrial Separations Involving Zeolites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
5 Industrial Zeolite Development and Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
5.1 Tuning Selectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
5.2 Balancing Capacity, Selectivity, and Regenerability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
5.3 Balancing Capacity and Mass Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
5.4 Ensuring the Continuous Regenerability and Thermochemical and Mechanical
Properties of the Adsorbent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
6 Perspectives for Future Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Abstract The industrial use of zeolites for adsorptive and separative applications at
a mature level has been generalized in the last decades. Thanks to the advantages
associated with the usual higher reversibility of the adsorption process, improved
energy efficiencies can be obtained leading to a consolidated alternative to the
traditional separation techniques. In a first part, the main industrial applications
and the associated zeolite adsorbents are covered. Thus, the most relevant and
critical properties of zeolites for a selected application are highlighted. Afterward,
based on the mentioned properties, the development and improvement of adsorbents
for industrial separations is addressed. A collection of selected examples is presented
J. Pérez-Pellitero (*) and G. D. Pirngruber
Catalysis, Biocatalysis and Separation Division, IFP Energies Nouvelles, Solaize, France
e-mail: javier.perez-pellitero@ifpen.fr
https://doi.org/10.1007/430_2020_75
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Published online: 11 October 2020
Industrial Zeolite Applications for Gas
Adsorption and Separation Processes
Javier Pérez-Pellitero and Gerhard D. Pirngruber
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
2 What Is Expected from an Ideal Industrial Adsorbent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
3 Overview of Commercial Zeolites and Their Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
4 Main Industrial Separative Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
4.1 Natural Gas and Air Drying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
4.2 Oxygen Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
4.3 Hydrogen Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
4.4 CO 2 Separations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
4.5 n-Paraffin/i-Paraffin Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
4.6 Xylene Isomers Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
4.7 Other Industrial Separations Involving Zeolites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
5 Industrial Zeolite Development and Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
5.1 Tuning Selectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
5.2 Balancing Capacity, Selectivity, and Regenerability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
5.3 Balancing Capacity and Mass Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
5.4 Ensuring the Continuous Regenerability and Thermochemical and Mechanical
Properties of the Adsorbent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
6 Perspectives for Future Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Abstract The industrial use of zeolites for adsorptive and separative applications at
a mature level has been generalized in the last decades. Thanks to the advantages
associated with the usual higher reversibility of the adsorption process, improved
energy efficiencies can be obtained leading to a consolidated alternative to the
traditional separation techniques. In a first part, the main industrial applications
and the associated zeolite adsorbents are covered. Thus, the most relevant and
critical properties of zeolites for a selected application are highlighted. Afterward,
based on the mentioned properties, the development and improvement of adsorbents
for industrial separations is addressed. A collection of selected examples is presented
J. Pérez-Pellitero (*) and G. D. Pirngruber
Catalysis, Biocatalysis and Separation Division, IFP Energies Nouvelles, Solaize, France
e-mail: javier.perez-pellitero@ifpen.fr