Metal-organic frameworks for purification of methanol-to-olefin (MTO) products

Ethylene and propylene are fundamental feedstocks in the chemical industry, and their production currently relies predominantly on petroleum cracking. In recent years, the maturation of methanol-to-olefin (MTO) technology has opened new avenues for the production of low-carbon olefins. Traditionally, separation of MTO products has relied on energy-intensive distillation. The development of physical separation technologies could reduce energy consumption by one-third or more. As an emerging class of crystalline porous materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit great promise for gas adsorption and separation, owing to their highly tunable pore environments. However, the similar physicochemical properties of MTO products present significant challenges in designing MOF adsorbents with high selectivity for their separation. To date, studies on MOF-based separation of MTO products remain limited. In this review, we provide a concise overview of recent advances in MOF-based adsorbents for the capture and separation of MTO products. We summarize the underlying separation mechanisms and strategies for enhancing MOF performance and finally discuss the remaining challenges and future prospects in this field.