Moisture Dehydration Solution with Molecular Sieve Desiccant Adsorbents

PSA is a technology that stands for Pressure Swing Adsorption. This technology is made to separate some of the unique gas from the mixture of various gases or air under pressure. This happens because of the gas molecules' characteristics and the affinity it shows for the adsorbent material.

Molecular sieves or zeolites are a kind of material that is made for absorption. Its specialty is that it can absorb a high amount of moisture. And it can also absorb some special gas. The zeolite absorbs certain gases that get mixed in the mixture. Hence, it is also called the Separation of a mixture.

Zeolite contains tiny pores that are of uniform size. These tiny pores act as adsorbents site for different gas and liquids. The molecular sieve is available in different types, for example, 3A, 4A, 5A, and 13X. This is all used in PSA plants.

Let's Learn How PSA Plant Works

The process

This process of Pressure Swing Adsorption is based on the physics law that any gas

 under high pressure will likely attract to the nearby solid surface. This process is called adsorption.

These plants require two vessels that are filled with molecular sieves. First clean compressed air at the temperature of 30 degrees Celsius is passed through one vessel, and the oxygen molecules come out from the vessel as product gas. The second vessel is depressurized to match the atmospheric pressure. It is then purged with a little oxygen molecule coming out from the first vessel.

Applications of PSA Technology in other fields.

1. The primary major function is used in the Refinery industries
2. It is used in separating carbon dioxide from biogas. This is done to increase the purity of methane.
3. In all Nitrogen generator units, this PSA technique is used.
4. It also has a major role in the pharmaceutical industry in producing oxygen and other medical needs.

Let's learn what all can Molecular Sieve 13X can do

The molecular sieves are synthetically made up of zeolites. These zeolites have a definite structure of pores and cavities of uniform dimensions. This molecular sieve has a three-dimensional structure that is made up of SiO2 or Silicon dioxide and AlO4 or Aluminium oxide. Both elements are internally connected. The molecular sieve 13X is based on the sodium form which is of type X crystal. Its pore diameter is 1.0 nm. The action of adsorbing the molecules is via kinetic pores and it can adsorb any molecule less than 0.1 nm but it cannot adsorb the larger one or whose diameter is greater than 0.1 nm. The 13X molecular sieve also has the property to adsorb all kinds of aromatics and branch chain hydrocarbons.

It has a larger pore size than the other desiccants like 3A, 4A, and 5A. This molecular sieve is mainly used for adsorbing industrial gases that include Carbon dioxide (CO2), Oxygen (O2), Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), and Ammonia (NH3). The molecular sieve 13X adsorbs the moisture apart from these industrial gases. Not only they are used in removing industrial gases, but they are also great examples of the -

• Removal of mercaptan
• Carrying catalyst
• Compressed Air Drying Systems
• Purification of solvent
• Drying sulfurated hydrogen
• Separating Carbon dioxide and moisture from the air

The molecular sieve 13X comes in beads and pellets form. And in this form, they can be used for various applications. One of its unique properties is its regeneration process.

Regeneration Process:-

The 13X molecular sieve can be regenerated by heating it and purging it with the gas it carries. For this process, the required temperature will be around 250 Celcius to 350 Celcius. Further, the cooling period is essential to reduce the temperature of the molecular sieve up to room temperature. The molecular sieve can also be regenerated by pressure swing. It does not have any impurities in this method.

Applications of Molecular sieve 13X

• The 13X molecular sieve can effectively be used to get rid of the toxic gases that emerge from landfills. This application will save you a lot of money that might go into the maintenance of the landfills to prevent the mixing of toxic gas into the air.

• It is also used in the biological industry to separate the biogas from the impurities. It is essential because these impurities if left alone can be hazardous to the environment, but with this application, the impurities are properly used and disposed of.

• Mercaptan oxidation is used to treat liquefied gas or can be known as LPG. This application helps in removing unwanted compounds that are called mercaptans. The mercaptans are majorly constituted of sulfur. It is a highly refined process that solely relies on the special catalyst that is in the combination with a 13X molecular sieve.

Molecular sieves are filter bodies with uniform, guided pores of any fixed diameter. They are generally used as drying agents or desiccants because they can adsorb water molecules of a diameter lesser than theirs.

This process is termed drying. 3A Molecular sieve has a pore diameter of 3A. So it can adsorb any molecules which are of lesser diameter than that. Therefore, the molecular sieve 3A beads can be used as a desiccant.

Solvents have a high affinity toward water once exposed to it. But these solvents are expected to be anhydrous for their purposes in the chemical world. Hence, it is very important to remove the water from solvents like acetone, ethanol, methanol, etc. and keep them dry. For this drying process, these solvents are processed with molecular sieves.

The molecular sieves need to be activated or dried before putting into use. To confirm if the sieves are dry, keep a bit of it in the palm and add a little water. If sieves generate a good amount of heat, they are dry and ready to use.

Drying process

Allow the solvents to pass through columns of molecular sieve 3A powder or beads continuously for a long time. These molecular sieves will easily absorb the water molecules of a diameter less than 2A. Since the solvent molecules are of higher diameter than sieves, they will not be trapped and will be let to flow. This drying process is easy to install and maintain.

The efficiency of the solvent dehydration process is based on the molecular size of the sieves.

Water molecules trapped in the sieves have to be removed at regular intervals. Otherwise, further dehydration will not be possible. This regeneration of the molecular sieve is also easy and simple. The saturated molecular sieves are heated at an elevated temperature to remove the already trapped water molecules and dry sieves. These regenerated molecules can be reused for dehydration.

Advantages of molecular sieve 3A beads

• ·        High adsorption speed
• ·        Regeneration capacity
• ·        High crush resistance
• ·        Pollution resistance
• ·        Longer life
• ·        Greater anti-contaminative resistance

These features make molecular sieve 3A the best choice as desiccants for solvent dehydration. The molecular sieve suppliers in the industry improve these properties and obtain the best sieves.

Molecular sieves are those types of desiccants that have almost the same appearance as silica gel but have different, completely different properties compared to silica gel. This desiccant is produced synthetically with the help of metal amino silicates. Molecular sieves are safe to use with food items as it is nontoxic but, at the same time, highly porous. It appears to have a pinkish color, tiny opaque beads which have several internal cavities connected with the help of internal window openings. All the windows are of similar diameter. Diameter plays an important role in the working of molecular sieves. Its accurate diameter is the unique identification that differentiates it from the other desiccants. Different types of Molecular sieves are 3A, 4A, 5A, 13X. So, if the molecules of the elements have a smaller diameter than the window opening of the desiccant, the process of absorption happens. Otherwise, it will not.

As it has a high network of pores, Molecular sieves can be the ultimate source of moisture absorption. This feature makes it demanding in the industrial sector. This absorbent is synthetically produced from Zeolite and has innumerable internal cavities, which absorb moisture and lock it inside them. These desiccants can either be used individually, or you also have the option to use them in combination with other desiccants; in this way, you can get an optimal solution. Different types of desiccants have different types of absorbing qualities. In the case of molecular sieves, they can absorb moisture or gas up to 20 times their weight. Since it is one of the most effective and aggressive absorbents available, it costs slightly higher than the other desiccants. This desiccant is used in various organizations like the pharmaceutical and medical industry, the food, and refrigeration industry, and the cosmetics and petroleum industry. It is also widely used in the electronic and computer industry.  

The other type of desiccant is dehydrated ethanol. Ethanol dehydration means a process where the water molecules or something equivalent to water molecules is removed from the substance. Ethane and water are produced by dehydrating ethanol by heating it over a certain temperature with sulfuric acid. The vapors of ethanol can be easily dehydrated, bypassing any heated catalyst, which will produce methane gas. This process is also called ethanol drying.Sorbead India's molecular sieve 3A used for ethanol purification in PSA plants.

A sieve is an object that filters coarser from any fine particles, and it generally has a mesh structure. Similarly, the molecular sieve is a porous substance that will help filter out components of lesser molecular weight from liquids, gases, and semi-solids. The pores act as traps for these smaller components as the liquid or gas is allowed to pass over the molecular sieve. These molecular sieve pores are fixed diameters and are based on the diameter. This material is classified into microporous, mesoporous, and macroporous material.

Molecular sieves have uniform size and uniform pore diameter. They are available in pelleted, beaded and powdered forms. These materials are mainly used in various industries to adsorb water, hydrogen, oxygen, and many other polar molecules. In most scenarios, it acts as a drying agent by removing the water molecules from the material. Thus, they are referred to as desiccants.

The pores trap the polar molecules due to a surface process known as adsorption. Sieves are known as adsorbents, and the trapped molecules are referred to as adsorbates.

Molecular sieve generation and regeneration

The powder desiccants are activated forms of zeolites, silica gel, or silicon dioxide made to meet the application's requirements. The activation process leaves the pores on the material surface with a high affinity toward certain molecules. Such targeted molecules will be trapped in these pores and accumulate there. After some time, a maximum of adsorbates is trapped by the pores; the sieve becomes saturated.

Here comes the biggest attractive feature of molecular sieves. As they are saturated and cannot absorb any more molecules, these can be regenerated and reused. The molecular sieve regeneration process is quite simple and less dangerous. To regenerate the sieve, pass over the same gas or liquid at a pre-calculated pressure and temperature. The adsorbed molecules will leave the pores, and the primary activated state of the sieves is restored. The molecular sieve regeneration requires no additional system or cost involved.

Major applications:

Removal of water molecules from liquids and gases

SF6 gas purifying

Improve the efficiency of PU sealants

Purification of petroleum products

Molecular sieve for oxygen concentrator

Instrumental air drying

Drying air and gas

Removal of H2S and CO2 from methane

Dehydration of ethanol

Mercaptan removal from LPG

There are many more specific applications across industries.

Why rely on molecular sieves from Sorbead India?

Sorbead India was established to provide an uninterrupted supply of quality desiccants. With a specialized team to research a diverse spectrum of desiccants and adsorbents, we pioneered the protection of products from various industries against the harmful effects of moisture and other polar molecules. Easy access to a wide variety of molecular sieves from us has eased our customers’ needs to complex moisture issues.

We have a vast collection of molecular sieves for all applications. Majorly, molecular sieve type A and type X are available with us. Type A includes molecular sieves of diameters 3A, 4A, and 5A. Most of these are available in pellets, beaded, and powdered forms. Molecular sieve type X includes sieves of 10A pore diameter, known as molecular sieve 13X. 

As to why choose us for all your desiccant requirements:

Quality: We promise to deliver high-quality products, and we have always kept our promise.

Quantity: We understand the customers’ needs and provide any quantity of molecular sieve powder as per their requirements. Molecular sieves are available at our stores within a wide range, from small trial packets to large bulk orders.

Online services: You can purchase at the comfort of your premises. Our services are available online starting from enquiry support, clarifications, placing orders, customer services, etc.

Fast and easy delivery: We promise you hassle-free order placement and delivery. Also, we make sure the product is delivered to you at the earliest.

Unique products: Our vigilant research team has extensive industry expertise, which helps us design unique products of high quality. We stick to our prototypes while satisfying your demands.

One-stop solution: We provide you with a solution for all your desiccant requirements. Talk to our customer support team or visit us online for easy purchasing.

To provide our customers with top quality products, we strive to research, design, fabricate, and test our products continuously. As pioneers in the market, we value our customer’s satisfaction and trust in our products and constantly improve with the right feedback. Sorbead India is your brand choice for all your desiccant requirements.

These times seem unfortunate and difficult amid the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been an imperative need for Oxygen to fight against this predicament. No one ever imagined such a situation where health industries would encounter such a massive scarcity of Oxygen.

To provide for the needs of health industries, our team at Sorbead India has united and prepared to contribute to this noble cause and supplies these products 24x7. We have constantly been in touch with the various manufacturing units and government bodies for their urgent Zeolite Medical Oxygen Grade requirement. Our technical experts are actively sharing their expertise on how our products can be used in oxygen concentrators.

Sorbead India is a prominent supplier to pharmaceutical industries and engineering industries since 1996. In addition, Sorbead India's molecular sieve (Zeolite) is being provided to many Oxygen generation plants and government bodies.

So, what is the role of Zeolite in oxygen generation? Zeolite is an element used to assimilate the Nitrogen present in the air to provide oxygen-rich air for the patients and industries. The oxygen concentrator's molecular sieve is used for the absorption of all the gases. The principle of Rapid Pressure Swing Adsorption is used here where the Nitrogen in the atmosphere gets intercepted by the Zeolite Oxygen Concentrator present in the molecular sieve. Such a type of oxygen generator is typically used in healthcare applications. A molecular sieve for an oxygen concentrator is used to absorb all the gases and group them by the molecules. An air compressor is provided in the molecular sieve oxygen concentrator and two different cylinders that have Zeolite employed on the oxygen concentrator.

Furthermore, there is a container for balancing the pressure. It is important to know how to use an oxygen concentrator if one wants it to work accurately. Zeolite helps in separating the Nitrogen component from the air present in the oxygen concentrator, which later remains only the pure Oxygen for breathing in the portable tanks. It is majorly used for people who need medical Oxygen because of their low oxygen level in the body. Besides the medical industries, oxygen concentrators are used in industrial sectors, too. People buy Zeolite for oxygen concentrators so that they can use it in oxygen generation plants. The product especially has its use in the medical industry for patients. As there are different oxygen supplies available in the health facilities, the patients often have to suffer the problems due to the shortage of resources, poor electricity, and other challenges.

On the other hand, the medical oxygen concentrator presents a very economical and sustainable source of medical-grade Oxygen to the patients who need it. With the help of an oxygen concentrator, the patients can easily have access to medical Oxygen. An oxygen concentrator is a portable oxygen machine that will draw air and then pass that air into the molecular sieve desiccant and adsorb Nitrogen from the air and give fresh, pure Oxygen of purity up to 95%. Therefore, it is necessary for people to realize the significance of having Oxygen in medical centers. Furthermore, there is a need for safe administration of Oxygen, and this is where the molecular sieve oxygen concentrator helps us out.

Why Zeolite Oxygen Concentrator? There are many reasons for 'why,' and they are as follows. First, it has a shelf-life of up to two years. Thus, it can be used for a good period of time and can also be stored for later use. Second, it can produce Nitrogen up to 5 LPM, 10 LPM, 15 LPM (Litre Per Minute) in a go. Using it is not quite a task as it works on a simple, rapid PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) principle that helps absorb Nitrogen from the molecular sieve. The molecular sieve for oxygen generation gets effective after the usage of the Zeolite oxygen concentrator. It gives pure Oxygen after the PSA. It is found to be an effective approach to generate Oxygen even in hospitals. Finally, it has a variant of the portable oxygen concentrator, which makes it more reliable and effective. Zeolite is a booster in oxygen generation and does give help to the molecular sieve for oxygen generation to be precise about the product.

Sorbead India has technical expertise in Adsorbent since 1996, tries to go beyond, and continues to serve. Providing what is needed now is quite a mission, and Sorbead India is ready with the products that can help regain health and save lives in the outburst of the worst of the pandemic.