review · Minerals Engineering
Zeolites are crystalline aluminosilicates with a three-dimensional structure, widely used in catalysis, environmental remediation, gas separation, biotechnology, and medicine. There is growing interest in synthesising zeolites from primary and secondary sources, as this approach yields products with higher purity, better ion exchange capacity, increased thermal resistance, and more uniform size compared to naturally occurring zeolites. Utilising low-cost precursors also helps reduce production costs and addresses environmental concerns. Conventional hydrothermal and alkali-assisted hydrothermal methods are commonly employed due to their efficiency and simplicity. This review systematically examines the synthesis of Zeolite A, X, Y, and ZSM-5 from various materials, including kaolin, diatomite, bentonite, coal fly ash, and biomass ash, focusing on their applications in environmental remediation and gas separation.
Zeolites are critical for many industrial and environmental applications. Developing methods to synthesise high-quality zeolites from abundant, low-cost materials like clays and waste ashes makes these valuable substances more accessible and sustainable. This approach also contributes to waste valorisation and a circular economy.
This review consolidates methods for producing zeolites from low-cost natural clays and waste ashes. This could enable more cost-effective and sustainable manufacturing of zeolites for use in environmental remediation, such as water purification, and gas separation processes. Industries involved in waste management, chemical production, and air quality control could benefit from these synthesis approaches. This work is foundational, providing a basis for developing practical, scalable production methods.
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Zeolites, known as molecular sieves, are crystalline hydrated aluminosilicates of alkali earth cations. They have a three-dimensional structure that contains frameworks of [SiO4]4- and [AlO4]5- tetrahedral, which are connected to each other by oxygen atoms. Zeolites are utilized in several fields such as catalysis, environmental remediation, gas separation, biotechnological and medical applications. Despite the availability of naturally occurring zeolites, there is an increased interest in zeolite synthesis from primary and secondary sources since it allows the production of zeolitic structures with high purity, better ion exchange capacity, higher thermal resistance, and more uniform size. Furthermore, the utilization of low-cost precursors makes a significant contribution to reducing the process cost and mitigating important environmental problems. Among different zeolite synthesis methods, conventional hydrothermal and alkali-assisted hydrothermal methods have been frequently applied in the last decades due to their high efficiency and simplicity. This study systematically reviews the data for the synthesis of Zeolite A, X, Y, and ZSM-5 from different primary and secondary sources, including kaolin, diatomite, bentonite, coal fly ash and biomass ash. Thus, the specific objective of this review is to provide critical information on zeolite synthesis from these materials together with their applications in environmental remediation and gas separation.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.mineng.2023.108086
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