JOURACA_SP_2017

Synthesis of Novel Adsorbent Matierals
Via Supercritical Fluid Deposition
Cody Parker
The separation of ethylene and ethane is an
important process in chemical engineering
as the ethylene that this process yields can
be used to make fibers, plastics, and other
chemicals. However, this process currently
accounts for 1% of the total energy used in
the chemical industry, making it very expensive.
Recent work in our research lab
has been done to make supports for metal
ions, such as copper and silver, which have
been shown to be able to separate ethylene
and ethane. The process is much more costeffective
than current methods and environmentally
friendly. Copper was deposited
onto γ-alumina via two methods, incipient
wetness depositions and supercritical fluid
depositions. Incipient wetness depositions
were carried out with copper acetylacetonate
dissolved in methanol and supercritical
fluid depositions were carried out
using supercritical CO2. Both methods deposited
copper onto the surface of the pellets,
seen in the light blue color that the pellets
turned after the depositions. When the
pellets were washed with methanol, the copper
on the incipient wetness deposited pellets
was removed while the copper on the
supercritical fluid deposited pellets was not.
This leads us to believe that the incipient
wetness deposition leads to equilibrium
bonding and the supercritical fluid deposition
leads to reactive bonding, meaning that
the copper is more stable when bound this
Department of Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Mentor: Kevin West
way. In the future, the previous methods
will be done with silver and we will test
how well that these supports remove ethane
from ethylene.
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