Adsorptive separations for the recovery and purification of biobutanol

A conceptual adsorption process for the recovery and purification of biobutanol is proposed. Different porous materials are tested on their ability to perform the adsorptive separations relevant to the process. The metal-organic framework ZIF-8, silicalite zeolite and active carbon were compared with respect to their adsorption capacity of 1-butanol dissolved in water, as obtained in static and dynamic conditions by respectively batch and breakthrough measurements at room temperature. Batch experimentation showed that other compounds present in a real ABE fermentation have no significant effect on the adsorption of 1-butanol on ZIF-8. The breakthrough separation of 1-butanol from an aqueous ABE mixture was performed with a ZIF-8 packed column. The desorption of 1-butanol from a saturated ZIF-8 packed column by a stepwise increase of the temperature to 423 K in combination with a purge of a nitrogen gas (60 ml/min) shows that 1-butanol desorbs at low temperature from ZIF-8. Adsorption isotherms of ethanol, 1-butanol and water in liquid phase on the zeolite SAPO-34 were determined by batch adsorption at 298 K. Also the separation of an ethanol/1-butanol mixture and the removal of ethanol from 1-butanol could be achieved with a SAPO-34 packed column. From this experimental work, two materials—ZIF-8 and SAPO-34—thus emerged as suitable adsorbents for the recovery and purification of biobutanol by adsorption.