Nonideality in the Adsorption of Ethanol/Ethyl Acetate/Water Mixtures On ZIF-8 Metal Organic Framework

Evaluation of ZIF-8 and ZIF-90 as Heat Storage Materials by Using Water, Methanol and Ethanol as Working Fluids

The increasing demand for heating/cooling is of grave concern due to the ever-increasing population. One method that addresses this issue and uses renewable energy is Thermochemical Energy Storage (TCES), which is based on the reversible chemical reactions and/or sorption processes of gases in solids or liquids. Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), composed of transition metal ions (Zn, Co, etc.) and imidazolate linkers, have gained significant interest recently as porous adsorbents in low temperature sorption-based TES (sun/waste heat). In this study, we examined two different sodalite-type ZIF structures (ZIF-8 and ZIF-90) for their potential heat storage applications, based on the adsorption of water, methanol and ethanol as adsorbates. Both ZIF structures were analysed using PXRD, TGA, SEM and N2 physisorption while the % adsorbate uptake and desorption enthalpy was evaluated using TGA and DSC analysis, respectively. Among the studied adsorbent–adsorbate pairs, ZIF-90-water showed the highest desorption enthalpy, the fastest sorption kinetics and, therefore, the best potential for use in heat storage/reallocation applications. This was due to its significantly smaller particle size and higher specific surface area, and the presence of mesoporosity as well as polar groups in ZIF-90 when compared to ZIF-8.

Inherent Ethyl Acetate Selectivity in a Trianglimine Molecular Solid

Ethyl acetate is an important chemical raw material and solvent. It is also a key volatile organic compound in the brewing industry and a marker for lung cancer. Materials that are highly selective toward ethyl acetate are needed for its separation and detection. Here, we report a trianglimine macrocycle (TAMC) that selectively adsorbs ethyl acetate by forming a solvate. Crystal structure prediction showed this to be the lowest energy solvate structure available. This solvate leaves a metastable, “templated” cavity after solvent removal. Adsorption and breakthrough experiments confirmed that TAMC has adequate adsorption kinetics to separate ethyl acetate from azeotropic mixtures with ethanol, which is a challenging and energy‐intensive industrial separation.

ZIF-8-porous ionic liquids for the extraction of 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoro-1-propanol and water mixture

Porous ionic liquids were employed for the extraction of TFP and water via a unique liquid porous structure and intermolecular interaction.

Physico-chemical processes

The review scans research articles published in 2018 on physico-chemical processes for water and wastewater treatment. The paper includes eight sections, that is, membrane technology, granular filtration, flotation, adsorption, coagulation/flocculation, capacitive deionization, ion exchange, and oxidation. The membrane technology section further divides into six parts, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis/forward osmosis, and membrane distillation. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Totally 266 articles on water and wastewater treatment have been scanned; The review is sectioned into 8 major parts;  Membrane technology has drawn the widest attention from the research community.