Using molecular simulations for elucidation of thermodynamic nonidealities in adsorption of CO2-containing mixtures in NaX zeolite

Abstract

Cation-exchanged zeolites are of potential use in pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technologies for CO2 capture applications. Published experimental data for CO2/CH4, CO2/N2, and CO2/C3H8 mixture adsorption in NaX zeolite, also commonly referred to by its trade name 13X, have demonstrated that the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) fails to provide adequately accurate estimates of mixture adsorption equilibrium. In particular, the IAST estimates of CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 selectivities are significantly higher than those realized in experiments. For CO2/C3H8 mixtures, the IAST fails to anticipate the selectivity reversal phenomena observed in experiments. In this article, configurational-bias Monte Carlo (CBMC) simulations are employed to provide confirmation of the observed thermodynamic nonidealities in adsorption of CO2/CH4, CO2/N2, and CO2/C3H8 mixtures in NaX zeolite. The CBMC simulations provide valuable insights into the root cause of the failure of the IAST, whose applicability mandates a homogeneous distribution of adsorbates within the pore landscape. By sampling 105 equilibrated spatial locations of individual guest molecules within the cages of NaX zeolite, the radial distribution functions (RDFs) of each of the pairs of guest molecules are determined. Examination of the RDFs clearly reveals congregation effects, wherein the CO2 guests occupy positions in close proximity to the Na+ cations. The positioning of the partner molecules (CH4, N2, or C3H8) is further removed from the CO2 guest molecules; consequently, the competition in mixture adsorption faced by the partner molecules is less severe than that anticipated by the IAST. The important message to emerge from this article is the need for quantification of thermodynamic nonideality effects in mixture adsorption.