Removal of Styrene and Ethylbenzene from Petrochemical Unites Using Clino Zeolite

The presence of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the output of industrial products for the health workers and the environment surrounding units (water, air and soil) is very dangerous [1]. Many VOCs are known carcinogens and some have toxic effects [2]. According to the 1990 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 189 hazardous air pollutants (HAP) are known as VOCs [3]. Some VOCs compounds, especially Styrene and Ethylbenzene are emitted from the pelletizing section of polystyrene Petrochemical Unites. Therefore, efforts to remove of these compounds are very necessary and interesting. This research includes two parts; in the first, the mixture of Styrene and Ethylbenzene in the samples from exhaust gases is measured using GC technique. In the second part, among the various sorbents for the removal of VOCs, the ability of Clino Zeolite for this mean has been studied. The obtained results showed that the adsorption efficiency of Clino Zeolite is very high probably due to wide surface and suitable kinetic processes. The effect of some important parameters for the adsorption of the studied compounds on Clino Zeolite has been investigated and optimized.

Keywords:

Elimination , Clino Zeolite , GC , Styrene , Ethylbenzene.