Selective adsorption of formaldehyde and water vapors in NaY and NaX zeolites

Coadsorption of formaldehyde and water vapors on NaX and NaY zeolites is studied at 298 K in the pressure range 0–2 hPa by manometry coupled with gas phase chromatography and calorimetry. Coadsorption isotherms, adsorption selectivities and coadsorption heats are measured. Results show that the coadsorption process is selective for water at low filling and for formaldehyde at high filling. The adsorption selectivity for formaldehyde over water is however too low to consider the possibility of using such adsorbents for the development of air handling units. On the other hand, a preliminary study carried out on the adsorption of formaldehyde and water in pure gas phase on a hydrophobic FAU zeolite reveals that high silica zeolites could be promising adsorbents for the capture of formaldehyde in the presence of water.