SO EASY TO Dry Molecular Sieve! If you don’t know how to regenerate the molecular sieve after using it, here is the tutorial.
Things to Know Before you Start:
- Regeneration should ONLY be performed in a well-ventilated area
- Do NOT regenerate the material at temperatures exceeding 800˚F as this can cause the material to be destroyed and may present a fire hazard, high temperatures can also damage the crystalline structure of the material, rendering it useless
- The best way to determine that the material is regenerated is by measuring a weight change – a before measurement will be needed; as water is released, the tray of silica gel will lose mass so the after weight will indicate the water released
- Beware that molecular sieve will get very hot in an oven and will need to be handled with great care using safety gloves and googles
- molecular sieve desiccant regeneration in thin layers will give better results and reduce the chance of damaging the material, regenerate in small batches if necessary.
- Adsorbent material should never be consumed
Dry Molecular Sieve Regeneration Process
1.Molecular sieve regeneration temperature, Preheat a clean grill or oven to:
A.400˚F if regenerating Type 3A Molecular Sieve – do NOT expose Type 3A molecular sieve to temperatures above 450˚F as this will rapidly destroy the crystalline structure.
B.550˚F if regenerating Types 4A, 5A, or 13X Molecular Sieve – do NOT expose these molecular sieves to temperatures above 800˚F as this can damage the crystalline structure.
- Prepare a metal cookie sheet by covering it with aluminum foil for easy clean up.
- Evenly distribute the molecular sieve across the cookie sheet, leave uncovered, and place on the preheated grill or in the oven.
- The time for regeneration varies for each oven, but the process can take around 2-8 hours depending on volume, equipment, etc.; stir every half hour or so to allow condensed moisture to escape and for even regeneration.Drying molecular sieve in oven is also possible
- Once regenerated, allow material to cool for at least an hour before handing or placing in storage.
- You can reuse molecular sieve multiple times as long as proper regeneration steps are followed. Repeat when necessary!
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