Effective adsorptive removal of trace CO₂ from olefin using alkanolamine‐polyethylenimine‐functionalized fumed silica

Abstract

The purification of gaseous olefins, such as C2H4 and C3H6, requires the efficient removal of trace CO2 impurities. However, the development of ideal adsorbents with high CO2/olefin selectivity has remained a challenge. In this study, we synthesized a novel adsorbent, denoted as PEI/DEA@FS, by modifying fumed silica (FS) with a combination of polyethylenimine (PEI) and diethanolamine (DEA). At 298 K and 0.0004 bar, PEI/DEA@FS presented the highest CO2 adsorption capacity among previously studied adsorbents, with a value of 2.12 mmol/g. Notably, PEI/DEA@FS demonstrated very high ideal adsorption solution theory selectivity for CO2/C2H4 (>1010) and CO2/C3H6 (>107) at 298 K and 0.01 bar. Breakthrough experiments revealed its excellent separation performance, producing olefins (C2H4 and C3H6) with ultra‐high purity (>99.9%) from a CO2/olefin (1/99) mixture. Moreover, PEI/DEA@FS exhibited outstanding stability over 20 adsorption and desorption cycles, and its CO2 adsorption performance remained almost unchanged under 75% relative humidity in the feed stream.