(519b) Metal Organic Framework for Subsequent/Simultaneous Removal of CO2 and H2S from Natural Gas and Biogas

Youssef Belmabkhout, Prashant M. Bhatt, Amandine Cadiau, Łukasz J. Weseliński and Mohamed Eddaoudi*

Functional Materials Design, Discovery & Development (FMD3), Advanced Membranes & Porous Materials Center (AMPM), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and Carbon dioxide (CO₂) are among the major impurities found in natural gas. The level of these acid gases need to be reduced to fulfil specifications necessary to guaranty optimal corrosion free operations during transportation through pipelines. Enhancing the fraction of hydrocarbons, particularly CH₄, by removing CO₂ and H₂S is also crucial to enhance the calorific value of natural gas. In this work, we prepared various Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and evaluated their tolerance to H₂S, using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and cyclic adsorption. The performance of these MOFs for subsequent or simultaneous H₂S/CO₂ removal from CH₄ was evaluated using dynamic mixed gas breakthrough adsorption column testing using H₂S/CO₂/CH₄: 05/05/90 gas mixture. Based on these results we unveil a range of H₂S/CO₂ MOF adsorbents capable for either selective H₂S or CO₂ adsorption or for simultaneous H₂S/CO₂ adsorption from natural gases. These MOFs can provide an alternative to existing technologies for removal of acid gases (H₂S, CO₂) with different compositions.