4A molecular sieve, a synthetic zeolite, is commonly used in laboratories to remove dissolved water from organic solvents.Water molecules adhere (adsorb) to the surface of the beaded sieve and no molecule with a critical diameter greater than 4 angstroms will be removed from the solvent.

Removing accumulated water from the molecular sieve can be accomplished by placing the media in an oven for one hour at 150F, raising the temperature to 250F for one hour, and finally raising the temperature to 400F for an hour. Before regenerating the desiccant, be sure to allow solvent to evaporate from the beads to prevent accidental combustion in the oven.Do not use an oven that’s also used for food.You want to avoid contamination of food with solvent.

Brand new molecular sieve retains about 20 percent of its weight in water, e.g. 200 g of water adsorbed per 1000 g of sieve. After regeneration the adsorption ratio typically falls to about 10 percent. When calculating the amount of sieve required in your application, use this lower ratio. In other words, take the mass of water expected to be moving through your system and multiply by 10. That’s how much sieve you should apply.

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