mSORB 3A EDG is a potassium type A zeolite bead, the 3A framework, made for ethanol dehydration service. Its nominal 3 angstrom pore admits water molecules and excludes ethanol, so as the ethanol stream passes through the bed, water is held in the sieve and dry ethanol passes through. The bed is then regenerated, by pressure swing or vacuum swing depending on the unit's design, and returned to service, with beds alternating so that dehydration runs continuously.
Chemical Formula: KₙNa₁₂₋ₙ[(AlO₂)₁₂(SiO₂)₁₂]·xH₂O
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS
mSORB 3A EDG is designed for the dehydration units at fuel ethanol plants:
- Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) dehydration units
- Vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) dehydration units
- Change-outs of sieve beds already in service, on either type of unit
SIZES AND PACKAGING
- mSORB 3A EDG beads, product code 3A48EDG, 4x8 mesh
Supplied in 330 lb (150 kg) steel drums and 2,100 lb (953 kg) super sacks. Other bead sizes and packaging are quoted on request.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is 3A EDG molecular sieve?
mSORB 3A EDG is Interra Global's ethanol drying grade of 3A molecular sieve: a potassium type A zeolite bead made for the dehydration units at fuel ethanol plants. The 3A designation is the pore size, a nominal 3 angstroms, which admits water and excludes ethanol. The EDG designation is the grade, released for ethanol service and supplied as a 4x8 mesh bead.
How does 3A EDG differ from standard 3A molecular sieve?
Both are the potassium form of the type A zeolite with the same nominal 3 angstrom pore, and both adsorb water while excluding ethanol. mSORB 3A EDG is the grade Interra Global supplies for the cyclic service of an ethanol plant's dehydration unit, where the bed is loaded and regenerated continuously: it is a low-dust bead, and its product data sheet lists attrition, crush strength, and water capacity for that service. Standard mSORB 3A serves general drying duty, such as solvents and gas streams.
How dry is the ethanol leaving a 3A EDG bed?
Distillation alone stops at the ethanol-water azeotrope, about 95.6 percent ethanol. The mSORB 3A EDG product data sheet puts the anhydrous ethanol leaving the bed at less than 0.5 percent water, inside the moisture limit for fuel ethanol in the United States. The water content a given unit delivers typically depends on its design and operating conditions, and Interra Global reviews service conditions when called on.
When does ethanol dehydration sieve need to be replaced?
Sieve beds typically lose working capacity gradually over years of cycling rather than failing at once. The usual signs are water breaking through into the product earlier in each cycle, or the unit needing shorter cycles or more regeneration to hold specification. Bed life depends on the plant's operating conditions and on what reaches the bed with the feed, so no single figure applies. Interra Global reviews a unit's history and service conditions when called on and supports change-outs on beds already in service.
How should 3A EDG be stored before loading?
In a dry place, in sealed packaging. The sieve adsorbs water from the air, and water taken up before loading typically reduces the capacity the bed delivers until it is regenerated. Reseal opened drums and super sacks, and rotate stock so the oldest material is used first.