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Synthesis and ion exchange of zeolites produced from kaolin for separation of oxygen from atmospheric air
Author(s) -
Feltrin Ana Carolina,
Souza Hilária Mendes,
Aquino Thiago Fernandes,
Marques Carolina Resmini Melo,
Angioletto Elidio
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of applied ceramic technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.4
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1744-7402
pISSN - 1546-542X
DOI - 10.1111/ijac.13744
Subject(s) - zeolite , air separation , adsorption , materials science , lithium (medication) , ion exchange , oxygen , raw material , pressure swing adsorption , hydrothermal circulation , inorganic chemistry , ionic bonding , hydrothermal synthesis , chemical engineering , catalysis , ion , chemistry , organic chemistry , medicine , engineering , endocrinology
Lithium‐based zeolites are the most commonly used materials in PSA (pressure swing adsorption) oxygen concentration from atmospheric air. Synthesizing these adsorbents using mineral raw materials adapts to worldwide environmental requests, as only high‐purity chemical reactants such as aluminates and silicates are usually used. The present work aims to synthesize and characterize zeolites using kaolin as raw material by studying the influence of the metakaolinization temperature and SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 and H 2 O/Na 2 O molar ratios by experimental design. Ion exchange was used to incorporate lithium into synthesized zeolites. Kaolin was treated thermically and characterized, and zeolites were synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction. After synthesis, ionic exchange of Na + ions by Li + was performed. The results indicated the presence of three main phases, zeolites A, X, and P. Using ANOVA, it was found that the factors that contributed significantly to the formation of zeolite X were the H 2 O/Na 2 O and SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 molar ratios. For zeolite A, the major influence was by the metakaolinization temperature and for zeolite P none of the factors was influential. Zeolites that incorporated higher amounts of lithium showed higher N 2 adsorption potential, indicating that even without pure phases formed, it was possible to obtain similar adsorption efficiency to commercial zeolite.