Synthesis of New MOFs for Natural Gas Purification - CO2 Adsorption and CO2/CH4 Separation

• Grant number: 24/23593-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Dalmo Mandelli
• Grantee: Gabriela Andreines Ortega Moreno
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/01634-5 - Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as catalysts for sustainable oxidation of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum (methane and other alkanes) and natural (terpenes), AP.R

Abstract

Oil field discoveries in Brazilian pre-salt waters are among the most relevant in the world in recent years. Given the significant amounts of CO2 and CH4 associated with pre-salt oil reservoirs, it is crucial to develop technologies for CO2 adsorption and its separation from CH4. Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are emerging as innovative and versatile structures for gas adsorption, separation and storage due to their large surface area, large pore volume, tunable chemical reactivity and uniform distribution of metal centres. The aim of this project is to develop new advanced natural gas purification systems based on metathesis-modified metal-organic frameworks (MMMOFs) with enhanced CO2 adsorption and CO2/CH4 separation capabilities. To achieve this goal, this research project proposes to develop a new concept of post-synthetic modification based on the application of C=C double bond metathesis principles to introduce new structural functionalities into MOFs that improve their CO2 adsorption and CO2/CH4 separation capabilities. The prepared MMMOFs will be combined with low cost and easy to process dense polymers to form create mixed matrix membranes based on metathesis modified metal-organic frameworks (MMM-based MMMOFs), which is expected to improve the practicality and processability of these new natural gas purification systems. An appropriate combination of solid-state characterization techniques will be applied to analyze, understand and support this research.Innovative experiments will be conducted that will evaluate the separation of CO2 and CH4 under conditions that mimic real-world situations. This development is expected to lead to more effective, sustainable and sustainable exploitation of the oil fields in the Brazilian pre-salt waters.