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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.
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]
Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Scalable fabrication of COF membranes for aliphatic/aromatic separation of crude oil.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cao%2C+Li%22">Cao, Li</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22An%2C+Shuhao%22">An, Shuhao</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yuan%2C+Bingbing%22">Yuan, Bingbing</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Zhen%22">Li, Zhen</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Samaras%2C+Vasilios+G%2E%22">Samaras, Vasilios G.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Xu%2C+Ting%22">Xu, Ting</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Xixiang%22">Zhang, Xixiang</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Huabin%22">Zhang, Huabin</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lai%2C+Zhiping%22">Lai, Zhiping</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Science%22">Science</searchLink>. 6/18/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6804, p1262-1267. 6p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aliphatic+hydrocarbons%22">Aliphatic hydrocarbons</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Membrane+separation%22">Membrane separation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aromatic+compounds%22">Aromatic compounds</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Liquid+membranes%22">Liquid membranes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Petroleum+refining%22">Petroleum refining</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Manufacturing+process+management%22">Manufacturing process management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mass+production%22">Mass production</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: 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]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1126/science.aea0869
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        Text: English
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        PageCount: 6
        StartPage: 1262
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Aliphatic hydrocarbons
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Membrane separation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Aromatic compounds
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Liquid membranes
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      – SubjectFull: Petroleum refining
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      – SubjectFull: Manufacturing process management
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      – SubjectFull: Mass production
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    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Scalable fabrication of COF membranes for aliphatic/aromatic separation of crude oil.
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              Text: 6/18/2026
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              Y: 2026
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