>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Coal is the main source of electricity in South Africa, the combustion of which produces a large amount of waste (coal fly ash) annually. The large-scale generation of coal fly ash places major strain on landfills and the material is toxic in nature. The high silicon and aluminium content in fly ash makes it a suitable starting material for zeolite synthesis. Utilisation of fly ash as a starting material for zeolite synthesis alleviates an environmental burden by converting a waste product to an industrially applicable material. In this study, hierarchical zeolite X was synthesised from coal fly ash via the fusion method. The clear fused fly ash (FFA) extract (with molar composition 0.12 Al·14.6 Na·1.00 Si·163 H₂O) served as the synthesis solution for hydrothermal treatment. The influence of synthesis parameters (such as Si/Al ratio, aluminium source, hydrothermal temperature and stirring) on hierarchical zeolite X formation was studied to determine the cause behind the formation of this material. Synthesised zeolites and starting materials (Arnot coal fly ash and fused fly ash) were characterised by various analytical techniques such as XRD and SEM-EDS to determine the phase purity, morphology and elemental composition (framework Si/Al ratio) of these materials. The synthesis of hierarchical zeolite X under hydrothermal conditions was found to be highly sensitive to the aluminium content of the synthesis solution. The hierarchical morphology of zeolite X was formed preferentially in relatively aluminium-deficient (i.e. high Si/Al ratio) synthesis environments under stirred hydrothermal conditions of 90 °C for 16 hours. In the case of sodium aluminate addition, octahedral shaped zeolite X crystals were formed in relatively low Si/Al ratio synthesis environments, which was attributed to the presence of excess sodium cation content in the synthesis solution. Selected hierarchical zeolites (D2 and E2) were characterised further to gain more insight into the properties of this material. HR-TEM and FTIR revealed that hierarchical zeolite D2 and E2 exhibited the typical structural features of zeolite X. Zeolite D2 and E2 contained both micropores and mesopores and had a high BET surface area of 338-362 m²/g. These zeolites also exhibited appreciable solid acidity (0.81-1.12 mmol H/g zeolite). These properties make hierarchical zeolite X a favourable material for application in catalysis or adsorption. Overall, the formation of zeolite X with hierarchical morphology was proposed to be linked to the presence of zeolite P1 structural units in the framework of the zeolite. / National Research Foundation

Carbochlorination, a solvent-free top-down process, is a novel pathway for the hierarchization of zeolites. In contrast to other methods no further washing steps are required. The employed method should serve as a model system for the “upcycling” of coked and deactivated zeolites accumulated by the industry. In order to establish a basic understanding of the process, zeolite H-Y was taken as a model system and a thorough investigation of important reaction parameters, like chlorination temperature, time and concentration, carbon loading, and Si/Al ratio, was performed. Under optimized conditions, we have been able to hierarchize H-Y with high yield, doubling the mesopore volume while maintaining the crystallinity and surface area.

Le Traité d'Interdiction Complete des Essais nucléaires (TICE) met en oeuvre des moyens de détection d'essais nucléaires au sein d'un système de surveillance international (SSI). Le Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) a développé, dès le milieu des années 90, le système SPALAX (Système de Prélèvement d'Air en Ligne avec l'Analyse des radioXénons). L'analyse du xénon, y compris les isotopes radioactifs issus de la réaction de fission lors de l'explosion, requiert le développement de procédés très performants pour la concentration de celui-ci. Dans ces travaux de thèse, les phénomènes d'adsorption et de diffusion du xénon sont étudiés dans une zéolithe ZSM-5 échangée à l'argent. Le couplage « expérience/simulation Monte-Carlo » est mis à profit pour déterminer les données thermodynamiques essentielles sur l'adsorption des gaz rares et pour caractériser les sites d'adsorption. La présence d'un site fort d'adsorption, identifié comme étant des nanoparticules d'argent et intervenant à faible concentration de gaz rares (notamment pour le xénon et le radon) dans certaines zéolithes échangées à l'argent, permet d'atteindre des performances d'adsorption et de sélectivité à ce jour inégalées. Ces résultats permettent d'envisager leur utilisation pour de nombreuses applications cruciales dans le domaine de la capture et de la séparation des gaz rares : production industrielle de gaz rares, retraitement des gaz issus du combustible irradié, dépollution de l'air en radon / The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) implements means for detecting nuclear tests in an International Monitoring System (IMS). The Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) has developed in the mid-90s, the SPALAX system (Système de Prélèvement d’Air en Ligne avec l’Analyse des radioXénons). Xenon analysis, including radioactive isotopes from the fission reaction during the explosion, requires the development of highly efficient process for xenon concentration. In this work, the adsorption and diffusion phenomena of noble gases are studied in silver exchanged ZSM-5 zeolite. The "experience / Monte Carlo simulation" coupling is used to determine the essential thermodynamic data on the adsorption of noble gases and to characterize the adsorption sites. The presence of a strong adsorption site, identified as silver nanoparticles and intervening at low concentration of noble gases (including xenon and radon) in some silver exchanged zeolites, achieves adsorption and selectivity performance to date unrivaled. These results allow considering their use in many critical applications in the field of capture and separation of rare gases: rare gas industrial production, reprocessing of spent fuel from gas, radon in air pollution control

Zeolites and zeolite membranes are two important advanced chemical materials which are widely used in chemical processes. The manufacture of these materials usually involves the use of expensive chemicals. This study involves the use of Ahoko Nigerian kaolin (ANK) as precursor material for the development of zeolites and zeolite membranes. The synthesis of zeolite A, Y and ZSM-5 was successfully obtained following a sequence, collection of the raw clay from Nigeria, metakaolinization, dealumination and actual hydrothermal synthesis of the zeolites. Raw ANK was refined using sedimentation technique and about 97% kaolin was recovered from the raw sample. A novel metakaolinization technique was developed to convert kaolin into a reactive metastable phase. Amorphous metakaolin was obtained at a temperature of 600°C and exposure time of 10 min. This is a significant result because previous studies use higher temperatures and longer exposure times for the metakaolinization step. The metakaolin was used to prepare a number of different zeolites under various conditions. Highly crystalline zeolite A was obtained at an ageing time of 12 h, crystallization time of 6 h and crystallization temperature of 100oC. Zeolite Y was obtained at an ageing time of 3 h, crystallization time of 9 h and crystallization temperature of 100oC. Zeolite Y was also synthesised by using a dealuminated kaolin and highly crystallized zeolite Y with Si/Al ratio of 1.56 and BET surface area was obtained of 630 m2/g. ZSM-5 was synthesised using an ageing period of 36 h, crystallization time of 48 h and temperature of 140oC. The results obtained from zeolite powder synthesis from ANK were then used as guide to prepare supported zeolite films and membranes by a hydrothermal method. The effect of the support surface (stainless steel) was investigated using two synthesis methods namely modified in-situ and secondary (seeded) growth. Zeolite A, Y and ZSM-5 films were successfully prepared from ANK for the first time and on two modified supports, etched and oxidised. The zeolite films and membranes developed showed complete coverage on the two supports with the oxidised showing better adhesion and intergrowth. The separation performance of the three developed zeolite membrane was tested by pervaporation of water/ethanol mixture. The results of pervaporation of ethanol/water mixture showed that zeolite A membrane is highly selective towards water mainly because of hydrophilic properties occasioned by the high aluminium content. Zeolite Y membrane show a similar response when their separation performance was evaluated but with less selectivity because of reduced aluminium content. ZSM-5 showed selectivity towards ethanol because of it hydrophobicity allowing only ethanol to permeate. In all the zeolite membranes, the flux is lower in comparison to commercial zeolite membranes due mainly to the thickness of the zeolite layer. Oxidised support membranes showed better performance because of their better interaction between the oxide surface and the aluminosilicate gel. The results show that ANK can successfully be used to prepare zeolites and zeolite membrane.

This work is aimed at understanding the underlying processes of crystal growth in nanoporous materials at the molecular level utilising computational modelling. The coarse grain Monte Carlo program constructed over a number of works at the CNM has shown success in modelling cubic zeolite systems. The goal of this work is to adapt the program to deal with the complexities of a wide range of different crystal systems. There have been many studies of crystal growth and many problems solved. In zeolites, however, there are still a lot of questions to answer. Growth rates and activation energies for crystal growth processes in zeolites are some of the things that remain unsolved for zeolites. Coarse grain Monte Carlo modelling simplifies the problem and can provide an insight into the underlying processes that govern crystal growth. This study focused its energetics around the formation of stable closed cage surface structures deduced from careful study of the dissolution of zeolite L terraces. Two approaches from an energetic point of view were investigated during the course of this study. The first considered the energetics from an energy of attachment point of view whilst the second focused on the energy of destabilisation with respect to crystal bulk. In this study the crystal growth of the following systems were probed computationally: LTA, SOD, LTL, ERI, OFF. Both zeolite and MOF crystal systems were studied over the course of this work. The algorithm developed in study shows some potential in being able to give insight to experimental crystal growth chemists as to how changing the rates of growth of certain cage structures would affect the overall morphology of the crystal grown. They can then utilise their knowledge of how using certain cations or templates, for example, can alter the stabilisation of certain cage structures to in effect design crystals of desired properties.

Orientador: Rubens Maciel Filho / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T17:35:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fonseca_NatalieAlexandraAmezquita_M.pdf: 1706178 bytes, checksum: 6e4b89c3e1712bb8a16be86c7a7f01bc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Um dos problemas na produção de etanol é o elevado custo energético associado a sua separação por causa do excesso de água e a existência de um azeótropo na mistura etanol - água, pelo que através da destilação convencional esta mistura só pode ser separada até um máximo de 95% em peso. Existe na atualidade um notável interesse no desenvolvimento de processos tecnológicos com o objetivo de melhorar as técnicas de separação necessárias para isolar o etanol do produto obtido na fermentação. Convencionalmente as técnicas empregadas para a purificação final na etapa posterior à destilação convencional são a destilação azeotrópica e a destilação extrativa, embora a importância relativa da adsorção tenha aumentado nos últimos anos como conseqüência do desenvolvimento dos processos de adsorção, a invenção das peneiras moleculares. Desta forma o processo PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) como um processo de maior eficiência térmica tornou se uma alternativa à destilação azeótropica. No entanto, o desenho e a análise de um sistema PSA é uma tarefa difícil devido ao grande número de parâmetros envolvidos na simulação numérica, pelo que é de grande importância a utilização de simuladores comerciais no estúdio deste tipo de processos. No presente trabalho foi estudada a dinâmica do processo PSA para a desidratação de etanol com zeólitas 3A mediante sua simulação no Software comercial Aspen Adsim. Foram estimados a partir de dados experimentais encontrados na literatura os parâmetros da Isoterma de Langmuir e o coeficiente de transferência de massa dado por LDF e estabelecido o ciclo de Adsorção PSA completo. As condições utilizadas foram similares as indústrias e foram estabelecidos ciclos por médio da ferramenta Cycle Organizer do simulador com 4 passos básicos assim: Adsorção, Despressurização, Purga e Pressurização em um tempo total de 11,5 minutos para dois leitos de adsorção. Foi atingido um estado estável CSS ao redor de 383 ciclos com uma pureza de 99,4%, 92,9% de recuperação e 46,83 l/hr/kg de produtividade. Foram pesquisados os efeitos da pressão de adsorção, a concentração da água na alimentação e vazão de alimentação, assim com a influência dos parâmetros da isoterma de Langmuir e do coeficiente de transferência de massa MTC para dois leitos de adsorção sob a Porcentagem de Pureza, Recuperação e Produtividade. Mediante este análise foi possível verificar que todas as variáveis de processo estudadas são significativas nas variáveis de resposta, enquanto constatou se que o parâmetro MTC é um parâmetro sensível que depende do sistema e das resistências que atuam no momento da transferência de massa, pelo que tem que ser estimado a partir de dados experimentais. Os efeitos das variáveis de projeto diâmetro e comprimento da coluna influíram notoriamente na produtividade do processo.Em conclusão o simulador Aspen Adsim tem sido apresentado como uma ferramenta útil para simulação dinâmica de um processo de adsorção / Abstract: One of the problems with ethanol production is the high energy cost which is associated with the separation of ethanol due to of excess water and the existence of an azeotrope in the mixture ethanol-water, by conventional distillation the mixture can be separated up to 95% weight. Currently, there is great interest in the development of technological processes to improve the necessary separation techniques in order to isolate the product obtained in ethanol fermentation. Conventionally, the techniques employed for final purification after conventional distillation are azeotropic distillation and extractive distillation. Although the relative importance of adsorption processes has increased in recent years as a result of increased development of adsorption process and the invention of molecular sieves. Thus, the PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) technique as a process of improved thermal efficiency has become an alternative in the azeotropic distillation. However, the design and analysis of a PSA system represents a difficult task due to the large number of parameters involved in the numerical simulation. Therefore, it is of great importance the commercial use of simulators in this research process. This study analyzed dynamics of the PSA process for the dehydration of ethanol with zeolite 3A by means of its commercial simulator software Aspen Adsim. It estimated that the parameters of the Langmuir isotherm and mass transfer coefficient given by LDF based on experimental data from the literature, furthermore, it established the complete PSA adsorption cycle. The conditions were similar to those used in the industry and have been established by means of the simulator, Cycle Organizer tool, the following for basics steps: adsorption, depressurization, purge and pressurization in a total time of 11,5 min to two adsorption beds. A steady state was reached - CSS around 383 cycles, with a purity of 99.4%, 92.9% of recuperation and 46.83 l/hr/kg of productivity. A parametric study also was done to investigate the effects of adsorption pressure, the concentration of water in food, feed flow, the of the Langmuir isotherm parameters and mass transfer coefficient - MTC for two adsorption beds under the percentage of purity, recovery and productivity. Through this analysis it was verified that all processes variables are significant in the studies response variables. While the MTC parameter found that is a susceptible parameter and depend on the resistances of transfer and, therefore, has to be estimated from experimental data. The effects of design variables such as diameter and length of bed visibly influenced the productivity of this process. In conclusion the simulator Aspen Adsim has been presented as a useful tool for dynamic simulation of adsorption process / Mestrado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

Orientador: Gustavo Paim Valença / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-31T19:58:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Paloschi_RozileiaSimoni_M.pdf: 2623823 bytes, checksum: 569787d9b56d1368559be20011050e5e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2002 / Resumo: A conversão catalítica de metano para combustível liquido ou outros produtos químicos é de grande interesse e muitas tentativas de utilização têm sido feitas para ativar metano em condições não oxidativas e convertê-lo em hidrocarbonetos grandes e compostos aromáticos. Neste trabalho, duas zeólitas H-ZMS-5 com razões Si/AI diferentes e uma zeólita H-Y foram impregnadas com 3% p/p de Mo e testadas na reação de acoplamento não oxidativo de metano. Análises de DRX e FTIR demonstraram que o Mo está bem disperso na superfície nos canais das zeólitas. A área superficial BET e o volume de poros apresentaram uma pequena redução após a impregnação. As reações foram feitas a 973 K. O catalisador Mo/H-Y só apresentou CO e H2 como produtos. O catalisador MO/H-ZSM-5 com a zeólita de menor razão Si/AI apresentou a maior conversão de metano e seletividade à benzeno quando a reação foi realizada em condição de baixa velocidade espacial de metano. A adição de 40% de H2 não favorece a formação de hidrocarbonetos C2 e aromáticos, enquanto a adição de apenas 10% resultou em um aumento na estabilidade da conversão de metano, especialmente para a zeólita com menor razão Si/AI. A adição de 20% de H2 resultou em menor conversão de metano e seletividade a benzeno quando comparada às reações sem adição de co-reagente e com 10% de co-reagente. Foram feitas também reações a 923 K e 1023 K para a determinação da energia de ativação. O catalisador 3Mo/H-ZSM-5 com menor razão Si/AI desativou completamente após 13 h de reação, enquanto o catalisador 3Mo/H-ZSM-5 com maior razão Si/AI desativou completamente após 9 h de reação. Este último foi regenerado por passagem de oxigênio à temperatura entre 723 e 823 K e testado novamente na reação de acoplamento não oxidativo de metano, apresentando valores de conversão de metano e seletividade à benzeno equivalentes aos observados na reação com o catalisador não regenerado / Abstract: The catalytic conversion of methane to liquid fuels or commodity chemicals is an attactive process that has received a great dela of attention recently. The conversion of methane under nonoxidative conditions results in longer chain hydrocarbons and aromatics compounds. In this work, two H-ZSM-5 zeolites with different Si/AI ratios and one H-Y zeolite were loaded with 3wt% Mo. They were used as catalysts in the reaction of nonoxidative coupling of methane. XRD and FTIR analysis showed that the molybdenum species are uniformly distributed on the surface in the channels of the zeolites. The BET surface area and the pore volume decreased slightly after impregnation with Mo. The reactions were carried out at 973 K. The only products for the Mo/H-Y smaples were CO and H2. The methane conversion and selectivity to benzene were higher for the Mo/H-ZSM-5 catalyst with lower Si/AI ratio and for lower methane space velocity. The nonoxidative coipling of methane reaction did not occur when 40% hydrogen were added to the methane feed stream. However, the methane conversion became stable and increase as 10% hydrogen were added to methane. This was true for the zeolite with lower Si/AI ratio. When 20% hydrogen were added to the methane feed stream, the methane conversion and selectivity to benzene were lower than when 10% hydrogen or no hydrogen were added to the feedstream. Reactions were carried out at 923 and 1023 K in order to determine the activation energy. The activation energy values were similar fo the reaction on the zeolites with different Si/AI ratios. The catalyst with lower Si/AI ratio deactivated after 13 h and the catalyst with higher Si/AI ratio deactivated after 9 h on stream. The catalyst with higher So/SI ratio was regenerated by flowing oxygen at temperatures between 723 and 823 K. After regeneration the catalyst had the same catalytic performance as the ¿fresh¿ catalyst / Mestrado / Desenvolvimento de Processos Químicos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

<p>The recent surge in shale gas production led to increases in alkane resources across the United States. One promising approach to convert the alkanes to higher value products is through dehydrogenation and oligomerization processes. This conversion to alkenes, if done in small modular units near the shale wells further aids in the ease of transportation and distribution of the final products. However, having highly selective processes is a major hindrance to improve the economic feasibility of the modular processes. Theoretical studies are of great significance to analyze detailed reaction mechanisms and identify the reaction pathways that leads to unselective product formations. These studies further enable the search for selective catalysts for any given chemistry based on descriptor analysis. Therefore, in this work Density Function Theory and Ab-initio Molecular Dynamics methods are used in conjunction with microkinetic modeling analyses to investigate the complex reaction networks involved in the shale gas conversion. Specifically, the work focuses on propane dehydrogenation (PDH) on alloy surfaces along with ethylene oligomerization on zeolite catalysts.</p><p> A major part of thesis is focused on finding selective and stable alloy catalysts for PDH chemistry. The initial work focused on understanding the selectivity, activity, and stability differences between 1:1 intermetallic alloys (PdIn) and the pure metal surfaces. This combined experimental and computational study shed light on the important role of step surfaces in understanding the activity trends across alloys. Through a detailed microkinetic analysis and simplified rate expression analysis, a novel selectivity descriptor in terms of effective barriers for propane C-H bond breaking and propyne C-C bond breaking was derived for propylene formation. This newly proposed descriptor showed greater fidelity for predicting the trends in experimental selectivities for a small set of Pd alloys than the previously proposed selectivity descriptors. Building upon these insights, a high throughput screening framework using graph-theory algorithms and python-based databasing has been developed to identify trends across a larger set of alloy combinations. The framework helped us identify a novel set of alloys that have not been explored until now for this chemistry. These alloy combinations were then experimentally tested and shown to have high selectivities for propylene formation and along with stabilities close to benchmark Pt-Sn catalysts. Detailed transition state analysis on terraces shows that the undesired C-C bond breaking pathways involves larger surface atom ensembles (4-5 atoms) while the C-H bond breaking involves smaller surface atom ensembles (1-2 atoms). This led to the conclusion that the site-isolation of active metal atoms is important to increase the selectivities for propylene formation. More importantly the combination of detailed mechanistic and screening studies using graph-theory methods shows a generalized framework towards finding new catalysts spaces for complex chemistries.</p><p>The work on ethylene oligomerization on the other hand is focused on understanding the role of mobility of active Ni species in the zeolites towards isomerization and deactivation reaction mechanisms. For this specific project, we have used state-of-the-art AIMD methods, including potential of mean force calculations, for accurate estimation of free energies for the reaction intermediates and transition states. The thermodynamic and kinetic analyses show that the reaction pathways involving mobile intermediates have the highest rates towards butene formations even under pressures lower than 1 bar. Further the isomerization step is found to be feasible on Ni-ethyl complex in agreement with experiments. Finally, the mobile complexes were shown to dimerize through alkyl bridged complexes and the generated complex has higher barriers for C-C bond formation than the isolated complex indicating that these are likely pathways for catalyst deactivation. This mechanistic understanding paves the way for fine-tuning the reaction conditions as well as ways in which the active site can be speciated inside the zeolitic frameworks to increase the selectivity towards 1-butene and reduce deactivation.</p>

<p>Zeolites contain distinct Brønsted acid site (H⁺) ensembles that arise from differences in the arrangement of framework Al atoms (Al−O(−Si−O)x−Al) between isolated (x ≥3) and paired (x=1,2) configurations, the latter defined by their ability to exchange certain divalent cations (e.g., Cu²⁺, Co²⁺). Manipulation of the synthesis conditions used to prepare MFI zeolites has been proposed to influence the proximity of framework Al atoms, but in a manner that is neither determined randomly nor by any simple predictive rules. Moreover, the effects of proton proximity have been studied for hydrocarbon catalysis in MFI zeolites, but interpretations of catalytic phenomena are convoluted by effects of the distribution of framework Al atoms among different crystallographic tetrahedral sites (T-sites) and diverse pore environments (i.e., confining environments) present in MFI. This work instead focuses on the chabazite (CHA) framework, which contains a single crystallographically-distinct lattice tetrahedral site (T-site) that allows clarifying how synthesis conditions influence Al proximity, and in turn, how H⁺ site proximity influences catalysis independent of T-site location. </p> <p> Selective quantification of the number and type of H⁺ site ensembles present in a given zeolite allows for more rigorous normalization of reaction rates by the number of active sites, but also for probing the number and identity of active sites on bifunctional catalysts that contain mixtures of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites. Gaseous NH₃ titrations can be used to count the total number of protons on small-pore CHA zeolites, which are inaccessible to larger amine titrants (e.g., pyridine, alkylamines), and can be used to quantify the exchange stoichiometry of extraframework metal cations (e.g., Cu²⁺, [CuOH]⁺) that are stabilized at different framework Al arrangements. Additionally, paired Al sites in CHA zeolites can be titrated selectively by divalent Co²⁺ cations, whose sole presence is validated by measuring UV-Visible spectra, counting residual protons after Co²⁺ exchange, and titration of paired Al with other divalent cations (e.g., Cu²⁺). These different titration procedures enabled reliable and reproducible quantification of different Al arrangements, and recognition of the effects of different synthetic methods on the resulting arrangement of framework Al atoms in CHA zeolites. </p> <p>Upon the advent of this suite of characterization and titration tools, different synthetic methods were developed to crystallize CHA zeolites at constant composition (e.g., Si/Al = 15) but with systematic variation in their paired Al content. The substitution of N,N,N-trimethyl-1-adamantylammonium (TMAda⁺) cations for Na⁺ in the synthesis media (Na⁺/TMAda⁺<2), while holding all other synthetic variables constant, resulted in CHA zeolites of similar composition (Si/Al = 15) and organic content (ca. 1 TMAda⁺ per cage), but with percentages of paired Al (0-44%) that increased with the total amount of sodium retained on the zeolite product. This result suggests that sodium atoms are occluded near the ammonium group of TMAda⁺ leading to the formation of a paired Al site. Replacement of Na⁺ by other alkali cations in the synthesis media allowed for the crystallization of CHA (Si/Al = 15) at higher ratios of alkali to TMAda⁺than accessible by Na⁺, likely due to the ability of different alkali cations to favor (or inhibit) crystallization of other zeolite phases. Incorporation of different alkali cations during CHA crystallization influences the formation of paired Al sites in different ways, likely reflecting the nature of different alkali to preferentially occupy different positions within the CHA framework. <i>Ab initio</i> molecular dynamics simulations were used to assess the stability of various Al-Al arrangements in the presence of combinations of alkali and TMAda⁺ cations, and provide thermodynamic insight into electrostatic interactions between cationic structure-directing agents that stabilize paired Al sites in CHA. </p> <p> Using these synthetic procedures to prepare CHA zeolites of similar composition, but with varied arrangements of framework Al, the catalytic consequences of framework Al arrangement were investigated using acid and redox catalysis. The low-temperature (473 K) selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH₃ (NH₃-SCR) was investigated over Cu-exchanged CHA zeolites containing various Al arrangements. Cu cations exchange as both divalent Cu²⁺ and monovalent [CuOH]⁺ complexes, which exchange at paired and isolated Al sites, respectively, and turnover with similar SCR rates (473 K). <i>In situ</i> and <i>operando</i> X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) were used to monitor the oxidation state and coordination environment of Cu as a function of time and environmental conditions. Rationalization of these experimental observations by first-principles thermodynamics and <i>ab initio</i> molecular dynamics simulations revealed that both Cu²⁺ and [CuOH]⁺ complexes are solvated by NH₃ and undergo reduction to Cu⁺ upon oxidation of NO with NH₃. Cu⁺ cations become mobilized by coordination with NH₃ under reaction conditions (473 K, equimolar NO and NH₃ feed), and activate O₂ through a dicopper complex formed dynamically during reaction. These results implicate the spatial density of nominally site-isolated Cu cations and, in turn, the arrangement of anionic framework Al atoms that anchor such cationic Cu complexes, influence the kinetics of O₂ activation in selective oxidation reactions, manifested as SCR rates (per 1000 A³) that depend quadratically on Cu density (per 1000 A³) and become rate-limiting processes in practice at low temperatures.</p> <p>Furthermore, first-order and zero-order rate constants (415 K, per H⁺) of methanol dehydration, a probe reaction of acid strength and confinement effects in solid Brønsted acids, are nearly one order of magnitude larger on paired than on isolated protons in CHA zeolites, reflecting differences in prevalent mechanisms and apparent enthalpic and entropic barriers at these different active site ensembles. Yet, these differences in rate constants and activation parameters at isolated and paired protons do not persist within larger pore zeolites (e.g., MFI). <i>In situ </i>IR spectra measured during steady-state methanol dehydration catalysis (415 K, 0.05-22 kPa CH₃OH) reveal that surface methoxy species are present in CHA zeolites containing paired protons, but not in CHA zeolites containing only isolated protons or MFI zeolites, providing evidence that sequential dehydration pathways via methoxy intermediates become accessible on paired protons in CHA. Density functional theory is used to provide atomistic detail of confined intermediates and transition states at isolated and paired protons in CHA and MFI zeolites, indicating that paired protons in CHA preferentially stabilize dehydration transition states that are partially-confined within the 8-membered ring (8-MR) of CHA. These findings provide evidence that catalytic diversity for the same stoichiometric reaction among zeolites of fixed structure and composition, even for frameworks containing a single T-site, can be introduced deliberately through synthetic control of the atomic arrangement of matter. </p>

Ce travail s’intéresse à l’étude de l’adsorption sélective du phénol dans des solutions d’hydrocarbures pour la purification des biocarburants issus de la biomasse de la 2ème génération. L’objectif de ce travail est de proposer, à l’aide d’une approche expérimentale et théorique, un adsorbant présentant à la fois une grande capacité d’adsorption du phénol, une sélectivité envers le phénol même en présence d’autres composés aromatiques ainsi qu’un bon pouvoir régénératif dans des conditions douces.Plusieurs familles d’adsorbants sont étudiées : des zéolithes Y et USY avec différents cations de compensation de charge (H+ et Na+) et différentes proportions de la surface micro et de mésoporeuse, des solides siliciques ayant des variables teneurs en groupement silanols et du charbon actif comme solide de référence. Les résultats d’adsorption montrent que dans les micropores des zéolithes, le phénol « interne » peut s’adsorber au nombre de 2 à 4 molécules par supercage, sans pouvoir entrer dans les cages sodalites. Dans la surface mésoporeuse des zéolithes USY et des solides siliciques, la quantité de phénol « externe » adsorbée dépend de la densité des silanols. En présence de toluène dans le mélange, les sites acides montrent une sélectivité importante envers l’adsorption du phénol, cette sélectivité est justifiée par une énergie d’interaction du phénol supérieure à celle du toluène sur ces sites. En revanche, l’adsorption du phénol sur le Na+ et les groupements silanols est affectée respectivement par la présence de faibles et de hautes teneurs en toluène. L’étude de la capacité de régénération des adsorbants met en évidence que les espèces phénoliques fortement liées sont formées sur les sites acides des zéolithes Y (H+Y, Na+Y et USY).Le meilleur compromis en termes de capacité d’adsorption de phénol, de sélectivité et de pouvoir régénératif est obtenu sur la zéolithe H+Y présentant un rapport Si/Al de 2,9. / This work focuses on the study of the selective adsorption of phenol from hydrocarbon solutions for the purification of 2nd generation biofuels. The objective of this work is to propose, using experimental and theoretical approaches, an adsorbent that can gather a good adsorption capacity of phenol, a selectivity towards phenol even in the presence of other aromatic compounds as well as good regeneration capacity under mild conditions.Several adsorbents were studied: Y and USY zeolites with different cations (H+ and Na+) and different proportions of micro and mesoporous surfaces, silica based solids presenting variable amount of silanol group and charcoal as a reference. The adsorption results show that, in the microporous of zeolites, the "internal" phenol can be adsorb to the number of 2 to 4 molecules per supercage, without being able to enter in the sodalite cages. In the mesoporous surface of the USY zeolites and the silica based solids, the amount of adsorbed "external" phenol depends on the density of the silanol groups. In the presence of toluene in the mixture, the acidic sites show a high selectivity towards phenol adsorption, this selectivity is justified by a higher interaction energy of phenol than toluene over these sites. Whereas, the adsorption of phenol over Na+ cation and over the silanol groups was respectively affected at low and high toluene levels. The study of the regeneration capacity of the adsorbents shows that the strongly bounded phenolic species are formed on the acidic sites of Y zeolites (H+Y, Na+Y and USY).The best compromise in terms of phenol adsorption capacity, selectivity and regeneration ability was obtained over the H+Y zeolite presenting a Si/Al ratio of 2.9.