Crosslinked polystyrene beads modified with polar groups for the separation of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbons

Abstract

ABSTRACT Crosslinked polystyrene (CPS) beads modified with polar groups for the separation of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbons were successfully prepared. The synthesized beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The effects of the crosslinking agents and polar groups on the swelling and selectivity performances toward n ‐heptane/toluene mixtures were studied. Impressively, the results indicated that the sulfone‐modified CPS beads obtained a high toluene selectivity. Further adsorption tests with a variety of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbons were carried out at 50°C with initial aromatic concentrations of 13 wt %, and the results showed that the beads had a preferential selectivity for aromatic hydrocarbons, in particular, a higher separation factor of 6.76 for benzene/cyclohexane mixtures. We expect that modified CPS beads will serve as an effective material for the selective separation of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbons in chemical and petrochemical fields. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131 , 40156.