Absorption Equilibrium and Kinetics for Ethylene-Ethane Separation with a Novel Solvent

A novel solvent system consisting of CuCl/aniline/n-methyl pyrrolidone was evaluated for the reactive absorption of ethylene. Equilibrium olefin loadings significantly exceeded physical solubility values. The equilibrium ethylene-ethane selectivity was a strong function of the gas phase total pressure. Kinetic behavior was accurately described by an instantaneous reversible mechanism. The solvent exhibited acceptable chemical stability during the experimental tests.