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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Chem.
Sec. Green and Sustainable Chemistry
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1450233

Effective and selective adsorption of methyl tert-butyl ether on ZSM-5 zeolite: A comparative study

Provisionally accepted
Ting y. Hua Ting y. Hua 1,2Shan S. Li Shan S. Li 1,2*Jing l. Hu Jing l. Hu 1,2Wei Yan Wei Yan 1,2
  • 1 Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
  • 2 Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The extensive use of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) as a gasoline additive has caused serious environmental problems that need to be addressed urgently. The feasibility of remediation of MTBEcontaminated groundwater by ZSM-5 zeolite with SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of 50/130/360 was explored. The SiO2/Al2O3 ratio had a great influence on the physicochemical properties and structure, as well as the adsorption and mass transfer of MTBE on ZSM-5. The adsorption of MTBE on zeolites with SiO2/Al2O3 ratios of 50 and 130/360 followed the Langmuir and Freundlich models, respectively, and was controlled by different mass transfer processes. The morphology and adsorption capacity of ZSM-5(50) and ZSM-5(130) differed significantly, while the differences between ZSM5-(130) and ZSM-5(360) were less pronounced. ZSM-5(360) had higher adsorption capacity and adsorption efficiency for MTBE, and the larger BET surface area, pore volume and stronger hydrophobicity were the key factors to promote MTBE adsorption. Compared to activated carbon (AC), ZSM-5(360) was more effective for MTBE removal at low concentrations (≤200 mg•L -1 ) and had the advantage of selective adsorption of MTBE with the addition of BTEX. In column adsorption, decreasing the concentration had opposite effects on MTBE removal by ZSM-5 and AC. At 5-10 mg• L -1 , ZSM-5(360) column reduced effluent concentration and improved bed utilization and removal efficiency.

    Keywords: MTBE, ZSM-5 zeolite, Adsorption, Fixed-bed column, Co-contamination

    Received: 17 Jun 2024; Accepted: 08 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hua, Li, Hu and Yan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shan S. Li, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.