Method to reduce fuel vapor emissions
AssigneeThe Dow Chemical Company
InventorsH. Robert Goltz, Tom N. Demopolis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Hydrocarbon emissions from fuel reservoirs, particularly those associated with motor vehicles, are abated by contacting a vented hydrocarbon fuel vapor stream from the reservoirs with a polymeric adsorbent derived from a macroporous or macroreticular copolymer of at least one monovinylidene aromatic monomer and a crosslinking monomer. The macroporous copolymers are converted into suitable adsorbents by post-polymerization crosslinking in a swollen state in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst. The resulting adsorbent has improved hydrocarbon adsorption capacity relative to conventional activated carbon adsorbents.
Claims30
A method for reducing hydrocarbon fuel vapor emissions from fuel reservoirs which comprises:
- contacting a vented hydrocarbon fuel vapor stream from a fuel reservoir with a polymeric adsorbent to retain at least a portion of the hydrocarbon fuel vapors emitted from reservoir, the polymeric adsorbent comprising a macroporous or macroreticular copolymer of at least one monovinylidene aromatic monomer and a crosslinking monomer which has been post-crosslinked in a swollen state in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst.
A method for reducing hydrocarbon fuel vapor emissions from fuel reservoirs which comprises:
- contacting a vented hydrocarbon fuel vapor stream from a fuel reservoir with a polymeric adsorbent to retain at least a portion of the hydrocarbon fuel vapors emitted from the fuel reservoir, the adsorbent comprising a macroporous or macroreticular copolymer of at least one monovinylidene aromatic monomer and a crosslinking monomer which is post-crosslinked in a swollen state in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst, the macroporous or macroreticular copolymer comprising a cellular polymeric structure wherein a macroporous void phase is dispersed within a continuous copolymer phase, the void phase comprising a plurality of cellular void spaces which are at least partially enclosed by walls of the continuous copolymer phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.