Nitrogen adsorption with a Ca and/or Sr exchanged lithium X-zeolite
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsCharles G. Coe, John F. Kirner, Ronald Pierantozzi, Thomas R. White
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a process for separating nitrogen from gas mixtures containing nitrogen and less strongly adsorbed components such as oxygen, hydrogen, argon or helium by use of an at least binary exchanged X-zeolite having lithium and calcium and/or strontium ions in ratio of preferably 5% to 50% calcium and/or strontium and 50% to 95% lithium.
Claims19
A process for selectively adsorbing nitrogen from a gas mixture containing nitrogen and at least one less strongly adsorbed component which comprises contacting the gas mixture with a zone of an adsorbent which is selective for the adsorption of nitrogen, selectively adsorbing nitrogen on the adsorbent and passing the gas mixture less the adsorbed nitrogen out of the zone, wherein the adsorbent comprises a crystalline X-zeolite having a zeolitic Si/Al ratio.ltoreq.1.5 and an at least binary ion exchange of the exchangeable ion content with between 5% and 95% lithium and with between 5% and 95% of a second ion selected from the group consisting of calcium, strontium and mixtures thereof, wherein the sum of the lithium and second ion ion exchange is at least 60% of the exchangeable ion content.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.