Researchers have also made an effort to utilize zeolite membranes for the separation of H2 from hydrocarbons. Hydrogen can be separated from larger hydrocarbons such as C4H10 with high selectivity. This is due to the molecular sieving effect since zeolites have pores much larger than H2, but smaller than these large hydrocarbons. Smaller hydrocarbons such as CH4, C2H6, and C3H8 are small enough to not be separated by molecular sieving. Researchers achieved a higher selectivity of Hydrogen when performing the separation at high temperatures, likely as a result of a decrease in the competitive adsorption effect.
