Research Projects

Olefins are crucial chemicals used in the production of plastics, detergents, and adhesives. Separating them from other components like paraffin is essential for obtaining highly pure polymer grade olefin. However, separating olefin-paraffin has become a challenging process due to their similar physical properties. Current methods include cryogenic fractional distillation, absorptive separation, and membrane-based separation. One interesting approach involves introducing porous and functional group-rich structures into membranes, which increase membrane permeability and selectivity. This study proposes synthesizing porous cage-based 1D coordination polymers, where organic cages with inherent porosity are connected through coordination linkage with metal centers. Tris(3-aminopropyl)amine will be used as the node and p-dialdehydes as the C2-linkers, each chosen for their selective interaction with olefins. The organic cages will be connected via coordination linkage between the lone pair on the nitrogen of tris(3-aminopropyl)amine and metal centers like Ag+ and Cu+ to form additive materials. The next step is to immobilize prepared porous structures into the polymer membrane matrix. Waste plastics will be used as raw material for hollow fiber (HF) membranes for gas separation, adding to existing ways to reuse plastics and remove them from the environment. An in-house testing station will be used to study the separation efficiency of the membrane modules. A mixed gas feed line containing olefins and paraffins will be connected to the HF-membrane module, and flow permeability and separation factor will be evaluated using a flow meter and GC. This approach could lead to technological advancements in olefin-paraffin separation.