Cu(I)-Based Ionic Liquids as Potential Absorbents to Separate Propylene and Propane

The absorption of propylene and propane in Cu(I)-based ionic liquids, i.e., 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride/CuCl ([Bmim][Cl]/CuCl), N-Methyl pyrrolidone chloride/CuCl ([HNMP][Cl]/CuCl), and tricaprylmethylammonium thiocyanate/CuSCN ([A336][SCN]/CuSCN), are investigated in this work. It is observed that such Cu(I)-based ionic liquids, especially Bmim-based ionic liquids, present good absorption capability for propylene and good selectivity over propane, e.g., 1.0 kilogram [Bmim][Cl]/CuCl is able to absorb 0.08 mol propylene while only 0.006 mol propane at 25°C and 1.3 bar with the selectivity of 13. The effects of pressure, Cu+ concentration, and temperature on the absorption are investigated; in addition, the absorption kinetics of propylene by [Bmim][Cl]/CuCl is obtained. The much higher absorption capability for propylene than propane is ascribed to the π-complexation between propylene and Cu+. This work shows that the absorption by Cu(I)-based ionic liquids is an potential alternative method for traditional cryogenic distillation with high energy cost to separate propylene and propane.