Separating Isoprene from Air

[Joe459]

How would one go about doing this?

[John Cuthber]

Why would one do this?

Assuming it's for analysis something like this might help you.

http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/technical-documents/articles/reporter-us/radiello-diffusive.html

 

This may well also work.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/mdhs/pdfs/mdhs63-2.pdf

[Enthalpy]

Would you tell more?

 

Whether you want to analyze traces of isoprene in air, remove isoprene vapours from the breathable atmosphere in a working area, or even produce isoprene from tree emissions in a plantation, the method will differ! Especially whether you want to obtain the isoprene (condensation, solvent, adsorption) or just remove it destructively (ozone, UV, catalyst, filter?).

[Joe459]

I was inspired by how much the dictanmus albus plant produces and was thinking of trying to harvest it from plants.

[John Cuthber]

It may be more practical to collect the polymer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_rubber

[Joe459]

Ah okay, so according to the internet, if you heat the polymer you can then get the gas?

It'd be hard to grow all of these arid, steppe climate plants inConnecticut though...

At least the ones that produce isoprene/natural rubber

[John Cuthber]

I have no idea what the climate is like in Connecticut, but dandelions grow like weeds in most places.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131028114547.htm

 

What do you want isoprene for?

[Enthalpy]

Fantastic! Love the dandelions idea. If some route is practical to obtain the head-to-tail trimer or tetramer of isoprene, then the branched alkanes resulting from full hydrogenation (farnesane, phytane) look great as:

• vacuum oil and grease
• cooling liquid for electronic equipment
• transformer oil
• and as rocket fuel and jet fuel if cheap enough.

Their liquid range is like -100°C to +260 or +300°C, wow.

 

Previous thoughts http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=56069.msg202845#msg202845

 

Extract isoprene from air: circulate the greenhouse's air through a solvent mist? Or to save power, make the air-to-solvent contact like in a humidifier

(The drawing was meant for a multiphase reactor, just forget the closed vessel here)