Aldehyde separation by polymer-supported oligo(ethyleneimines)

Chlorosulfonated styrene (10%) divinylbenzene resin beads reacted with an excess of ethylenediamine (EDA), diethylenetriamine (DETA), and triethylenetetramine (TETA) to give the corresponding sulfonamides with pendant oligo(ethyleneimines). The resulting modified resins are useful in the separation of aldehydes from hydrocarbon mixtures. Sorption of aldehydes occurs through formation of both Schiff base and five-membered (imidazoline) rings. Sorbed aldehydes can readily be stripped from the resins by treating with dilute acid solutions. Since the sulfamide bond has a reasonable stability toward acid-base hydrolysis, the loaded resins can be regenerated and recycled by simple acid-base washings, without losing their activity. In the present study, sorption and desorption kinetics of acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde, and salicylaldehyde have been investigated under different conditions. The aldehyde sorption obeys second-order kinetics. The method presented is applicable for all aromatic aldehydes. However, in the case of aliphatic aldehydes carrying an α-hydrogen, aldol condensation products form in solution. So aliphatic aldehydes and their aldol products are sorbed together by the resins. This limits the recovery of aliphatic aldehydes. Consequently, the resins described are cost effective sorbents for the removal and recovery of aromatic aldehydes from various mixtures. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 2857–2864, 1997