Efficient Separation of Trace SO 2 from SO 2 /CO 2 /N 2 Mixtures in a Th-Based MOF.

The emission of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) from flue gases is harmful since trace SO 2 impairs human health and the natural environment. Therefore, developing new metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to capture this toxic molecule is of great importance in flue gas desulfurization. In this work, we synthesized a new MOF, namely, ECUT-Th-60 , which consists of two distinct channels (3.0 Å × 4.1 Å and 2.3 Å × 4.8 Å). It shows SO 2 uptakes of around 2.5 mmol/g at 0.1 kPa and 3.35 mmol/g at 1 bar, which are higher than those of CO 2 and N 2 under identical conditions. Both simulated and experimental breakthrough tests proved that ECUT-Th-60 can separate trace SO 2 from SO 2 /CO 2 mixtures. Impressively, complete separation of SO 2 from SO 2 /CO 2 /N 2 mixtures under both dry and humid conditions was also proved in ECUT-Th-60 , predicting its potential application in flue gas desulfurization.