Zeolites are highly porous materials that are most commonly used in granular or beaded forms. In general, zeolite granules, beads or monoliths are manufactured by using an inorganic binder which helps to cement zeolite crystals together. However, this inorganic binder decreases the purity of the zeolite structures and accessibility to the zeolite pores. A new and relatively easy method was offered for the production of binderless zeolite A tubes and bars from amorphous alumina silicate extrudates in this study. Amorphous alumina silicate powder, which is obtained by filtering the homogenous hydrogel with a composition of 2.5Na2O:1Al2O3:1.7SiO2:150H2O, is mixed with an organic binder (HEC-Hydroxyethyl Cellulose) to obtain the paste. The paste is then extruded through a die of a home-made extruder into bars and tubes. These extrudates were dried at room temperature for 24 hours, then calcined at 600oC for 2
hours and finally synthesized at 80oC for 72 hours in hydrothermal conditions to convert amorphous alumina silicate to zeolite.
The most appropriate amorphous alumina silicate powder (A) / 4wt% HEC solution (H) ratio to prepare paste, hence to prepare bars and tubes was found as 0.82. The crystallinity of bars and tubes was 91% and 97%, respectively, and zeolite A was the only crystalline material. The bars and tubes were composed of highly intergrown zeolite A crystals with high porosity. Porosity of the bars is approximately 39% and porosity of the tubes is 29%, with a narrow pore size distribution. Bars have macropores of 2 & / #956 / m, while the macropores of the tubes are 3-4 & / #956 / m. The BET surface area of the bars was 411 m2/g and of tubes was 439 m2/g, which are comparable with the commercial zeolite A beads. Bars had a crushing strength of 0.42 MPa, which is sufficiently high to handle.
In conclusion, zeolite A bars and tubes, with their high purity, macroporous structure and high mechanical strength, can be used in adsorption and ion exchange processes. The developed synthesis method can be scaled up to prepare honeycomb monoliths that provide higher surface are per unit volume with an appropriate extruder die.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:METU/oai:etd.lib.metu.edu.tr:http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/2/12606469/index.pdf |
| Date | 01 August 2005 |
| Creators | Ozcan, Aysenur |
| Contributors | Kalipcailar, Halil |
| Publisher | METU |
| Source Sets | Middle East Technical Univ. |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | M.S. Thesis |
| Format | text/pdf |
| Rights | To liberate the content for METU campus |
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