Adsorbent for hydrocarbon recovery

• US 10,639,583 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BASF Corporation (BASF SE)
• Original Assignee: BASF Corporation (BASF SE)
• Inventors: Dolan, William B., Wyatt, Roger, Siegel, Angela, Neumann, Klaus, Eckardt, Tobias
• Primary Examiner(s): Lawrence, Jr., Frank M
• Application Number:
  US15/737,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20180221809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 95 90, 95143, 95147, 96108, 585820
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/106 Silica or silicates
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/306 Surface area, e.g. BET-specific surface
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2253/308 Pore size
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2256/245 Methane
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/702 Hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/02 by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography solid sorbent compositions B01J20/00, preparation of inorganic compounds or elements C01
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0462 Temperature swing adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/72 Organic compounds not provided for in groups B01D53/48 - B01D53/70, e.g. hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/103 comprising silica
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28004 Sorbent size or size distribution, e.g. particle size
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28011 Other properties, e.g. density, crush strength
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28014 characterised by their form
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28019 Spherical, ellipsoidal or cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28054 characterised by their surface properties or porosity
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28064 being in the range 500-1000 m2/g
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28069 Pore volume, e.g. total pore volume, mesopore volume, micropore volume
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28071 being less than 0.5 ml/g
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/28085 being more than 50 nm, i.e. macropores
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3433 of sorbents or filter aids other than those covered by B01J20/3408 - B01J20/3425
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/3458 in the gas phase
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2220/56 : Use in the form of a bed
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 7/12 : by adsorption, i.e. purification or separation of hydrocarbons with the aid of solids, e.g. with ion-exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/10 : Working-up natural gas or synthetic natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/101 : Removal of contaminants

Abstract

Disclosed in certain embodiments are sorbents for capturing heavy hydrocarbons via thermal swing adsorption processes.

Claims

1. A method of treating a fluid volume, the method comprising contacting the fluid volume with a sorbent, wherein:

the fluid volume has an initial concentration of C6+ components prior to the contacting,

the fluid volume has a final concentration of C6+ components after the contacting that is less than the initial concentration of C6+ components,

the sorbent comprises amorphous SiO₂ at a weight percent greater than 90%,

a relative micropore surface area (RMA) of the sorbent is greater than 10%, and

a total pore volume for pores between 500 nm and 20000 nm in diameter is greater than 70 mm³/g.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RMA of the sorbent is greater than 15%.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sorbent comprises a fluid-accessible surface having a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area greater than 500 m²/g.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial concentration of C6+ components is greater than 150 ppm, and wherein the final concentration of C6+ components is less than 30 ppm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the C6+ components comprise one or more of benzene, heptane, octane, nonane, toluene, or ethylbenzene.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sorbent is adapted to remove C5+ components from the fluid volume, wherein the C5+ components comprise neopentane.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sorbent is in a form of beads that form a sorbent bed, wherein a size of the beads is from 2.4 mm to 4 mm.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the contacting occurs in a thermal swing-adsorption system.

9. A method of treating a fluid volume, the method comprising contacting the fluid volume with a sorbent, wherein:

the fluid volume has an initial concentration of C6+ components prior to the contacting,

the fluid volume has a final concentration of C6+ components after the contacting that is less than the initial concentration of C6+ components,

the sorbent comprises amorphous SiO₂ at a weight percent greater than 90%,

a total pore volume for pores between 500 nm and 20000 nm in diameter is greater than 100 mm³/g, and

an RMA of the sorbent is greater than 15%.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sorbent comprises a fluid-accessible surface having a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area greater than 500 m²/g.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the initial concentration of C6+ components is greater than 150 ppm, and wherein the final concentration of C6+ components is less than 30 ppm.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the C6+ components comprise one or more of benzene, heptane, octane, nonane, toluene, or ethylbenzene.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the sorbent is in a form of beads that form a sorbent bed, wherein a size of the beads is from 2.4 mm to 4 mm.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the contacting occurs in a thermal swing-adsorption system.

15. A thermal swing adsorption system comprising a sorbent bed comprising a sorbent, the sorbent comprising amorphous SiO₂ at a weight percent greater than 90%, wherein a relative micropore surface area (RMA) of the sorbent is greater than 10%, and wherein a total pore volume for pores between 500 nm and 20000 nm in diameter is greater than 70 mm³/g.

16. The thermal swing adsorption system of claim 15, wherein the thermal swing adsorption system is adapted for adsorption of C6+ components from a fluid volume, wherein the C6+ components comprise one or more of benzene, heptane, octane, nonane, toluene, or ethylbenzene.

17. The thermal swing adsorption system of claim 15, wherein the thermal swing adsorption system is adapted to remove C5+ components from a fluid volume, wherein the C5+ components comprise neopentane.