Comparison of SAPO-34 Zeotype and T type Zeolite Molecular Sieves in CO2/CH4 Separation Process

Carbon dioxide is known as a hazardous material with acidic property which can be found within many natural gas wells with the molar fractions from 2 up to 70 %, therefore attempts are required to remove and separate this material from methane to prevent corrosion problems as well as improving the natural gas energy content. SAPO-34 zeotype and T type zeolite materials were synthesized for separation CO2 from CH4. The synthesized samples were characterized by XRD and SEM techniques. This characterization tests confirmed the formation of both zeotype and zeolite materials. The manufacture samples were used in CO2/CH4 separation process. The adsorption experiments of CO2 and CH4 were carried out in temperature of 298 K and various pressures (1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 bar) on the surface of synthesized adsorbents and CO2/CH4 selectivity was determined. The results revealed that these two types of molecular sieve can be good candidates for purification of CH4 from CO2. For both adsorbents, the highest selectivity of CO2/CH4 was obtained around 6, in pressure of 1 bar.