IMPROVED PROCESS FOR SEPARATION OF ALKENES FROM ALKANES
First Claim
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1. A process for separating one or more alkanes from one or more alkenes, comprising:
- (a) providing a membrane comprising a layer of an ionomer, said ionomer comprising repeat units derived from one or more fluorinated monomers and a repeat unit having a Group 11 metal salt of a sulfonic acid group, said membrane having a first side and a second side, providing that carbon-fluorine groups are at least 30% of the total of said carbon-fluorine groups and carbon-hydrogen groups present in said ionomer;
(b) exposing said first side to a feed composition comprising a gaseous first mixture of one or more alkanes and one or more alkenes;
(c) providing a driving force; and
(d) producing a second mixture, on a second side of said membrane, having a higher ratio of alkene to alkane than said first mixture;
and wherein the improvement comprises said feed composition is passed through and/or over a material which reduces the concentration of one or more sulfur containing compounds in said first mixture.
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Abstract
Alkenes may be separated from alkanes using membranes of Group 11 metal ionomers of sulfonic acid group contaning polymers, and the useful lifetime of these membranes is increased by passing the mixture containing the alkanes and alkenes over and/or through a material which reduces H2S concentrations in the feed stream before exposing the membrane to the feed stream.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A process for separating one or more alkanes from one or more alkenes, comprising:
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(a) providing a membrane comprising a layer of an ionomer, said ionomer comprising repeat units derived from one or more fluorinated monomers and a repeat unit having a Group 11 metal salt of a sulfonic acid group, said membrane having a first side and a second side, providing that carbon-fluorine groups are at least 30% of the total of said carbon-fluorine groups and carbon-hydrogen groups present in said ionomer; (b) exposing said first side to a feed composition comprising a gaseous first mixture of one or more alkanes and one or more alkenes; (c) providing a driving force; and (d) producing a second mixture, on a second side of said membrane, having a higher ratio of alkene to alkane than said first mixture; and wherein the improvement comprises said feed composition is passed through and/or over a material which reduces the concentration of one or more sulfur containing compounds in said first mixture. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification