Zirconium and Aluminum MOFs for Low-Pressure SO2 Adsorption and Potential Separation: Elucidating the Effect of Small Pores and NH2 Groups

Finding new adsorbents for the desulfurization of flue gases is a challenging task but is of current interest, as even low SO2 emissions impair the environment and health. Four Zr- and eight Al-MOFs (Zr-Fum, DUT-67(Zr), NU-1000, MOF-808, Al-Fum, MIL-53(Al), NH2-MIL-53(Al), MIL-53(tdc)(Al), CAU-10-H, MIL-96(Al), MIL-100(Al), NH2-MIL-101(Al)) were examined toward their SO2 sorption capability. Pore sizes in the range of about 4-8 A are optimal for SO2 uptake in the low-pressure range (up to 0.1 bar). Pore widths that are only slightly larger than the kinetic diameter of 4.1 A of the SO2 molecules allow for multi-side-dispersive interactions, which translate into high affinity at low pressure. Frameworks NH2-MIL-53(Al) and NH2-MIL-101(Al) with an NH2-group at the linker tend to show enhanced SO2 affinity. Moreover, from single-gas adsorption isotherms, ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) selectivities toward binary SO2/CO2 gas mixtures were determined with selectivity values between 35 and 53 at a molar fraction of 0.01 SO2 (10.000 ppm) and 1 bar for the frameworks Zr-Fum, MOF-808, NH2-MIL-53(Al), and Al-Fum. Stability tests with exposure to dry SO2 during <= 10 h and humid SO2 during 5 h showed full retention of crystallinity and porosity for Zr-Fum and DUT-67(Zr). However, NU-1000, MOF-808, Al-Fum, MIL-53(tdc), CAU-10-H, and MIL-100(Al) exhibited >= 50-90% retained Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)-surface area and pore volume; while NH2-MIL-100(Al) and MIL-96(Al) demonstrated a major loss of porosity under dry SO2 and MIL-53(Al) and NH2-MIL-53(Al) under humid SO2. SO2 binding sites were revealed by density functional theory (DFT) simulation calculations with adsorption energies of -40 to -50 kJ.mol(-1) for Zr-Fum and Al-Fum and even above -50 kJ.mol(-1) for NH2-MIL-53(Al), in agreement with the isosteric heat of adsorption near zero coverage (Delta H-ads(0)). The predominant, highest binding energy noncovalent binding modes in both Zr-Fum and Al-Fum feature mu-OH delta+center dot center dot center dot delta-OSO hydrogen bonding interactions. The small pores of Al-Fum allow the interaction of two mu-OH bridges from opposite pore walls with the same SO2 molecule via OH delta+center dot center dot center dot delta-OSO delta-center dot center dot center dot delta+HO hydrogen bonds. For NH2-MIL-53(Al), the DFT high-energy binding sites involve NH delta+center dot center dot center dot delta-OS together with the also present Al-mu-OH delta+center dot center dot center dot delta-OS hydrogen bonding interactions and C-6-pi(delta-)center dot center dot center dot delta+SO2, N delta-center dot center dot center dot delta+SO2 interactions.