A novel method for synthesis of mesoporous ZSM-5 from iron ore tailings

Abstract

Mesoporous ZSM-5 was prepared from iron ore tailings (IOT) using a two-step process. Mesoporous MCM-41 was first synthesized using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as mesoporous template and IOT as silica source. The CTAB in the as-synthesized MCM-41 was used as the mesoporogen to produce the mesoporous ZSM-5, by recrystallizing the amorphous walls of MCM-41 with tetrapropylammonium bromide (TPABr) as the structure-directing agent via solid-phase conversion. To evaluate the textural properties of mesoporous ZSM-5, the as-synthesized samples were characterized using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, 29Si, 27Al magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and nitrogen adsorption. The results show that phase separation between the surfactant and zeolite crystals was avoided in the solid-phase conversion process, which transforms the as-synthesized MCM-41 to mesoporous zeolite. Therefore, the synthetic route presented herein provides a novel method for the synthesis of mesoporous ZSM-5 from IOT.