Scalable fabrication of COF membranes for aliphatic/aromatic separation of crude oil.
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| Title: | Scalable fabrication of COF membranes for aliphatic/aromatic separation of crude oil. |
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| Authors: | Cao, Li (AUTHOR), An, Shuhao (AUTHOR), Yuan, Bingbing (AUTHOR), Li, Zhen (AUTHOR), Samaras, Vasilios G. (AUTHOR), Xu, Ting (AUTHOR), Zhang, Xixiang (AUTHOR), Zhang, Huabin (AUTHOR), Lai, Zhiping (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Science. 6/18/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6804, p1262-1267. 6p. |
| Subjects: | Aliphatic hydrocarbons, Membrane separation, Aromatic compounds, Liquid membranes, Petroleum refining, Manufacturing process management, Mass production |
| Abstract: | Distillation has been the cornerstone of crude oil refining for more than a century, relying on boiling point differences for fractionation. Although effective, it is highly energy-intensive and lacks the precision to separate specific hydrocarbon classes. We report crystalline covalent organic framework (COF) membranes with well-defined micropores and alkyl-functionalized frameworks that combine molecular sieving with preferential affinity to enrich aliphatics. An electric field–assisted roll-to-roll process enabled scalable fabrication of continuous membranes. These COF membranes enriched aliphatics to >95% and delivered permeance orders of magnitude higher than amorphous polymers in Arabian Light crude oil. A crude oil permeance of 0.34 liters m−2 hours−1 bar−1 with >90% aliphatics enrichment was achieved using industrial-standard 1812 membrane modules, demonstrating a lower energy demand than distillation. Editor's summary: Fractionation of crude oil is typically accomplished using distillation, which is an energy-intensive process, and using membranes to fractionate crude oil more efficiently has been a longstanding goal. Cao et al. developed covalent organic framework (COF) membranes designed for the selective separation of aliphatic hydrocarbons from crude oil. The COFs have large pores that can be modified by functionalizing the interior surface with aliphatic species consisting of methyl, butyl, and hexyl groups. Stacking of these three modified COFs tunes the selectivity. The authors scaled up the fabrication of the membranes in a continuous process and demonstrated that they were efficient at separating Arabian Light crude oil with high permeance. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Distillation has been the cornerstone of crude oil refining for more than a century, relying on boiling point differences for fractionation. Although effective, it is highly energy-intensive and lacks the precision to separate specific hydrocarbon classes. We report crystalline covalent organic framework (COF) membranes with well-defined micropores and alkyl-functionalized frameworks that combine molecular sieving with preferential affinity to enrich aliphatics. An electric field–assisted roll-to-roll process enabled scalable fabrication of continuous membranes. These COF membranes enriched aliphatics to >95% and delivered permeance orders of magnitude higher than amorphous polymers in Arabian Light crude oil. A crude oil permeance of 0.34 liters m−2 hours−1 bar−1 with >90% aliphatics enrichment was achieved using industrial-standard 1812 membrane modules, demonstrating a lower energy demand than distillation. Editor's summary: Fractionation of crude oil is typically accomplished using distillation, which is an energy-intensive process, and using membranes to fractionate crude oil more efficiently has been a longstanding goal. Cao et al. developed covalent organic framework (COF) membranes designed for the selective separation of aliphatic hydrocarbons from crude oil. The COFs have large pores that can be modified by functionalizing the interior surface with aliphatic species consisting of methyl, butyl, and hexyl groups. Stacking of these three modified COFs tunes the selectivity. The authors scaled up the fabrication of the membranes in a continuous process and demonstrated that they were efficient at separating Arabian Light crude oil with high permeance. —Marc S. Lavine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00368075 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/science.aea0869 |
