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Interpenetrating network nanocomposite hydrogels as efficient adsorbents for the removal of total impurities from industrial lean methyldiethanolamine solution

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Abstract

Natural gas can be sweetened by removing acidic gases with aqueous methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solvents. Heavy metal ions and total organic acid anions (TOA) contaminate the industrial lean MDEA during this process. Continuous accumulation of these impurities creates operational problems, such as corrosion, fouling, and foaming of the operational unit. In this study, a series of interpenetrating network (IPN) nanocomposite hydrogels based on sodium alginate and acrylamide were successfully synthesized in the presence of fillers, such as silica (Alg-Aam-SiO2), polyaniline-coated silica (Alg-Aam-PA-SiO2), graphene oxide (Alg-Aam-GO), and thermally reduced graphene oxide (Alg-Aam-TRGO). The synthesized IPN hydrogels were applied for the adsorption of TOA and heavy metals (chromium and iron) simultaneously from lean MDEA. Different characterization techniques, such as FTIR, Raman, TGA, XRD, SEM, TEM, and equilibrium swelling studies, were performed to understand the superiority of the hydrogels. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of TOA anions at 53 °C was 21.45 mg/g for Alg-Aam, 23.47 mg/g for Alg-Aam-SiO2, 20.16 mg/g for Alg-Aam-PA-SiO2, 19.19 mg/g for Alg-Aam-TRGO, and 15.29 mg/g for Alg-Aam-GO. Thermodynamically, the adsorption of all contaminants was favorable, spontaneous, and endothermic. The produced Alg-Aam-based nanocomposite hydrogels are a great candidate for purifying the contaminated lean MDEA solvents.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Khalifa University Gas Processing and Materials Science Research Center, Abu Dhabi, for funding the project (GRC11006).

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, P. O. Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Anjali Achazhiyath Edathil, Israa Othman, Priyabrata Pal & Fawzi Banat

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Edathil, A.A., Othman, I., Pal, P. et al. Interpenetrating network nanocomposite hydrogels as efficient adsorbents for the removal of total impurities from industrial lean methyldiethanolamine solution. Polym. Bull. 80, 9913–9939 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-022-04542-2

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