Metal-organic framework ZIF-8 for exceptional HCl removal from Hydrogen gas by reaction

In the production of hydrogen gas, the removal of hydrogen chloride (HCl) is of particular relevance for the chemical industry. Here we report the HCl removal performance of ZIF-8 metal organic framework demonstrated via fixed-bed (dynamic) measurements under process conditions. The measurements revealed an HCl removal capacity of 1.02 g/g, outperforming by far all traditional materials and other metal-organic framework previously tested. The ZIF-8, before and after the HCl contact, was characterized via SEM-EDX, XRD, TGA, ATR-FTIR, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed a dramatic change in textural, structural and chemical properties of ZIF-8 after HCl contact, where the MOF material undergoes a reaction and re-crystalizes into a salt complex.