Process for the recovery of halogenated hydrocarbons in a gas stream

A process for the recovery of halogenated hydrocarbons from a gas stream comprises passing the gas stream through a bed of hydrophobic molecular sieve adsorbent, preferably of the high silica zeolite type. Such adsorbent has pore diameters large enough to permit molecules of the halogenated hydrocarbons to pass therethrough and be selectively adsorbed in the large internal cavities of the crystal framework, whereby the halogenated hydrocarbons are removed. The gas is continued to be passed through the bed of adsorbent material until the material is saturated to the extent that breakthrough of the hydrocarbons is determined. The adsorbent material with adsorb phase of halogenated hydrocarbons is removed from the machine and regenerated by exposing the saturated material to an inert purging gas stream under conditions which desorb the halogenated hydrocarbons from the adsorbent material into the purging gas stream. The halogenated hydrocarbons are then removed from the purging gas stream and purified to a purity for reuse of the recovered halogenated hydrocarbons.