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The adsorption process was studied for separating para-xylene from xylene mixture on modified nano-zeolite X in a breakthrough system. Nano-zeolitic adsorbent with different ratios of SiO₂/Al₂O₃ was synthesized through hydrothermal process and ion-exchanged with alkaline metal cations like lithium, sodium and potassium. The product was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption, transform electron microscopy (TEM) and in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The influence of nano-zeolite water content and desorbent type on the selectivity of para-xylene toward other C₈ aromatic isomers was studied. The optimization of adsorption process was also investigated under variable operation conditions. The isotherm for each isomer of C₈ aromatics and the desorbents possess the adsorption characteristics of Langmuir type. The selectivity factor of …