Disclosed in certain embodiments are sorbents for capturing heavy hydrocarbons via thermal swing adsorption processes.

A porous material including alumina, the alumina including alpha-alumina, the porous material including one or more metals selected from Co, Mo, Ni, W and combinations thereof, and the porous material having a BET-surface area of 1-110 m.sup.2/g, a total pore volume of 0.50-0.80 ml/g, as measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry, and a pore size distribution (PSD) with at least 30 vol % of the total pore volume being in pores with a radius 400 , suitably pores with a radius 500 . A process for removing impurities such as phosphorous (P) from a feedstock, by contacting the feedstock with a guard bed including the above porous material. A guard bed for a hydrotreatment system including the porous material, a hydrotreatment system including a guard bed which includes the porous material and a downstream hydrotreatment section including at least one hydrotreatment catalyst.

Disclosed is a composite adsorbent material comprising three components, including a porous media, a hygroscopic material, and graphite flakes. Among the many different possibility considered, it may be advantageous for the porous media to be mesoporous silica or the hygroscopic materials to be calcium chloride, lithium bromide, or lithium chloride. It is considered that the graphite flakes may comprise 50 percent or less of the graphite flake-hygroscopic material composition, and certain embodiments may utilize between 15 and 30 percent graphite in the graphite flake-hygroscopic material composition. It is still further considered that the graphite flakes may advantageously be less than 300 microns in size, or may have an average number of carbon planes that is 100 or less. Additional materials may also be incorporated, including biologics, polymers, and catalysts.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a porous monolith polymeric composition having utility in catalysis, chromatography, filtration, and electro-kinetic pumps, devices incorporating such composition and methods or making and using such monoliths. The monoliths are characterized by a substantially homogeneous skeletal core with little shrinkage, few voids and few channels.

An amphiphilic film structure includes an amphiphilic film, a hydrophobic material layer formed as a first material layer and a hydrophilic material layer formed as a second material layer. The hydrophobic material layer is made of at least one hydrophobic monomer material and the hydrophilic material layer is made of at least one hydrophilic monomer material. The hydrophilic material layer is attached to a predetermined surface for absorbing moisture thereof which can be diffused via the hydrophobic material layer.

A method for the synthesis of molybdenum disulphide foam wherein the porosity of the foam can be controlled. The porosity of the foam is employed to adapt the foam to various processes and specific requirements. The foam molybdenum disulphide structures have internal cavities are interconnected to create a large processing surface area.

Provided is a method for producing a polyacrylic acid (salt)-based water absorbent resin, which is a convenient production method for a water absorbent resin for an absorbent suitable for practical use, the water absorbent resin having a reduced amount of residual monomers. Disclosed is a method for producing a polyacrylic acid (salt)-based water absorbent resin, the method comprising a polymerization step of polymerizing an aqueous monomer solution containing acrylic acid (salt) as a main component; a drying step of drying a water-containing gel-like crosslinked polymer obtained in the polymerization step; a surface crosslinking step of surface crosslinking the water absorbent resin under drying or the water absorbent resin which has been dried; and a packaging step of packaging the surface crosslinked water absorbent resin, wherein an iron content in the aqueous monomer solution in the polymerization step is 2 ppm (relative to the monomer(s)) or less, a moisture content of the water absorbent resin in the packaging step is 1% by weight or more, and the method further comprises, after the packaging step, a storage step of storing the packaged water absorbent resin for 3 days or longer.

The invention relates to a composition Z comprising a component B, a component C, a component D, a component E and a component P, wherein the component B is a polyethylene glycol, the component C is a polyglycerol ester, the component D is an earth alkali carbonate, the component E is a phyllosilicate, and the component P is a polystyrene and/or an alloy thereof. Composition Z is suitable to increase the hydrophilic properties of processed solid or foamed polystyrene material, especially for making a film, sheet or food tray.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a porous monolith polymeric composition having utility in catalysis, chromatography, filtration, and electro-kinetic pumps, devices incorporating such composition and methods of making and using such monoliths. In some embodiments the monoliths can include a skeletal core having a substantially homogeneous polymeric composition of two or more organic silane monomers and pores that define an interstitial volume in the skeletal core. The pores can include macropores and less than 5% of the interstitial volume can be mesopores. Such monoliths can, in some embodiments, be disposed in a housing having at least one wall that defines a chamber such that all fluid flowing into the chamber passes through the pores of the monolith.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a porous metal-organic framework by reacting at least one metal compound in which the metal is Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Al, Ga or In with at least one at least bidentate organic compound and also the use of such porous metal-organic frameworks.