A Scalable Pillar Layered Metal-Organic Framework for Natural Gas Purification

One-step harvest of high-purity methane (CH₄) from ternary propane/ethane/methane (C₃H₈/C₂H₆/CH₄) mixtures remains a desirable yet challenging goal for natural gas purification. However, adsorbents either suffer from high capacity and selectivity, or are caught in a dilemma of scalable synthesis. Herein, we demonstrate a scalable pillar layered metal-organic framework Ni-MOF for highly efficient one-step CH₄ purification. Ni-MOF exhibits high C₂H₆ and C₃H₈ uptakes of 83.3 and 86.1 cm³/g at 298 K and 100 kPa and remarkable C₂H₆/CH₄ (50/50, volume ratio, 21.5) and C₃H₈/CH₄ (50/50, volume ratio, 212.0) selectivities. Notably, high C₂H₆ (42.2 cm³/g at 10 kPa) and C₃H₈ (64.7 cm³/g at 5 kPa) capacities in the low-pressure region at 298 K were realized on Ni-MOF, suggesting the strong affinities of Ni-MOF towards C₂H₆ and C₃H₈. Furthermore, the dynamic breakthrough experiments revealed that purifying CH₄ from natural gas in one-step can be achieved in Ni-MOF with high-purity (>99.8%) and productivity (346.0 cm³/g). Most significantly, the production of Ni-MOF can be scalably synthesized at room temperature, rendering it promising potential for industrial application. The combined advantages of exceptional separation performance, scalability, and cycle stability of Ni-MOF pave the way for one-step CH₄ purification from natural gas.