Scalable Green Synthesis and Full-Scale Test of the Metal-Organic Framework CAU-10-H for Use in Adsorption-Driven Chillers

The demand for cooling devices has increased during the last years and this trend will continue. Adsorption-driven chillers (ADCs) using water as the working fluid and low temperature waste energy for regeneration are an environmentally friendly alternative to currently employed cooling devices and can concurrently help to dramatically decrease energy consumption. Due to the ideal water sorption behavior and proven lifetime stability of [Al(OH) (m-BDC)] center dot x H2O (m-BDC2- = 1,3-benzenedicarboxylate), also denoted CAU-10-H, a green very robust synthesis process under reflux, with high yields up to 95% is developed and scaled up to 1/2 kg-scale. Shaping of the adsorbent is demonstrated, which is important for an application. Thus monoliths and coatings of CAU-10-H are produced using a water-based binder. The composites are thoroughly characterized toward their mechanical stability and water sorption behavior. Finally a full-scale heat exchanger is coated and tested under ADC working conditions. Fast adsorption dynamic leads to a high power output and a good power density. A low regeneration temperature of only 70 degrees C is demonstrated, allowing the use of low temperature sources like waste heat and solar thermal collectors.