A chromatography method in which a gaseous, liquid or supercritical mobile phase containing species to be separated is circulated through a packing. The packing includes a plurality of capillary ducts extending in the packing between an upstream face through which the mobile phase enters the packing and a downstream face through which the mobile phase leaves the packing. A continuous medium permeable to molecular diffusion extends between the ducts, including a porous organic gel or an organic liquid with at least one network of connected pores, the size of which is greater than two times the molecular diameter of at least one species to be separated. The at least one species has a diffusive path between the ducts.

Porous structures are made from compositions that include hollow glass bodies and an inorganic powder. The inorganic powder may act as a rigid frame member, a crystallization agent, or both, which reduces the shrinkage of the porous structures during firing. The porous structures made therefrom have an open porosity of greater than 70% and reduced shrinkage of less than 10% compared to the green structures prior to firing. Methods for firing the green structures made from the compositions are also disclosed, the firing methods including reducing a temperature ramping rate of the green structures during a crystallization temperature range of the glass of the hollow bodies.

A filter-drier unit for a refrigerant includes an exterior housing formed of a hard material, and a desiccant material supported within the exterior housing and being formed of a metal-organic framework material having inorganic metal ions and bridging ligands that link the metal ions. The metal-organic framework has a three-dimensional permanently porous structure that has at least one chemically tunable characteristic, such as pore size, pore volume, and surface area.

This disclosure provides a halogenated activated carbon composition comprising carbon, a halogenated compound and a salt. In some embodiments, the halogenated compound and the salt comprise a naturally occurring salt mixture, as may be obtained from ocean water, salt lake water, rock salt, salt brine wells, for example. In some embodiments, the naturally occurring salt mixture comprises Dead Sea salt.

This disclosure provides a halogenated activated carbon composition comprising carbon, a halogenated compound and a salt. In some embodiments, the halogenated compound and the salt comprise a naturally occurring salt mixture, as may be obtained from ocean water, salt lake water, rock salt, salt brine wells, for example. In some embodiments, the naturally occurring salt mixture comprises Dead Sea salt.

A nucleophilic substitution reaction to crosslink cyclodextrin (CD) polymer with rigid aromatic groups, providing a high surface area, mesoporous CD-containing polymers (P-CDPs). The P-CDPs can be used for removing organic contaminants from water. By encapsulating pollutants to form well-defined host-guest complexes with complementary selectivities to activated carbon (AC) sorbents. The P-CDPs can rapidly sequester pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other organic micropollutants, achieving equilibrium binding capacity in seconds with adsorption rate constants 15-200 times greater than ACs and nonporous CD sorbents. The CD polymer can be regenerated several times, through a room temperature washing procedure, with no loss in performance.

The present invention provides a beta zeolite that is useful as a catalyst, adsorbent agent, or the like, and that is both microporous and mesoporous. The beta zeolite is characterized by (i) the SiO.sub.2/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 ratio being 8-30, and the SiO.sub.2/ZnO ratio being 8-1000, (ii) the micropore surface area being 300-800 m.sup.2/g, (iii) the micropore volume being 0.1-0.3 cm.sup.3/g, and (iv) having mesopores having, in the state as synthesized, a diameter of 2-6 nm and a volume of 0.001-0.3 cm.sup.3/g. The beta zeolite is favorably produced by means of adding and reacting a zinc silicate beta zeolite as a seed crystal with a reaction mixture containing a silica source, an alumina source, an alkali source, and water.

A nucleophilic substitution reaction to crosslink cyclodextrin (CD) polymer with rigid aromatic groups, providing a high surface area, mesoporous CD-containing polymers (P-CDPs). The P-CDPs can be used for removing organic contaminants from water. By encapsulating pollutants to form well-defined host-guest complexes with complementary selectivities to activated carbon (AC) sorbents. The P-CDPs can rapidly sequester pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other organic micropollutants, achieving equilibrium binding capacity in seconds with adsorption rate constants 15-200 times greater than ACs and nonporous CD sorbents. The CD polymer can be regenerated several times, through a room temperature washing procedure, with no loss in performance.

Systems and methods for treating a fluid with a body are disclosed. Various aspects involve treating a fluid with a porous body. In select embodiments, a body comprises ash particles, and the ash particles used to form the body may be selected based on their providing one or more desired properties for a given treatment. Various bodies provide for the reaction and/or removal of a substance in a fluid, often using a porous body comprised of ash particles. Computer-operable methods for matching a source material to an application are disclosed. Certain aspects feature a porous body comprised of ash particles, the ash particles have a particle size distribution and interparticle connectivity that creates a plurality of pores having a pore size distribution and pore connectivity, and the pore size distribution and pore connectivity are such that a first fluid may substantially penetrate the pores.

A composite material is used for desulfurization. The composite material contains activated carbon, alkali metal oxides, silicon oxides, iron oxides, and rare earth element oxides. The weight ratio among the activated carbon, iron oxides and rare earth element oxides is 100:(0.5-5):(1-10). The composite material, used as a sulfur adsorbent, has a higher sulfur breakthrough capacity and desulfurization rate.