Effect of Intermittent Agitating during Hydrothermal Synthesis on Mordenite Properties and Ammonium Adsorption

Abstract

Mordenite is well-known as a commercial catalyst in oil refineries. Conventionally, mordenite is produced through hydrothermal method under static condition for long period of time. In this investigation, the effect of intermittent agitating of the solution during the hydrothermal process on the mordenite properties and ammonium sorption was studied. The synthesized mordenite samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The XRD pattern of the intermittent agitated sample showed broader peaks with similar intensity peaks as compared to the non-intermittent agitated sample. According to the SEM images, the average particle size of the intermittent agitated sample was 1.8 μm, while the non-intermittent agitated sample was larger with 13 μm. Both of samples show similar morphology as ellipsoid like. The sample of mordenite from the intermittent agitated sample showed a lower bulk density and high particle dispersion in water. The ammonium adsorption on the mordenite samples were tested by using various volume of ammonium solution. The ammonium adsorption capacity of the intermittent agitated sample slightly higher than the non-intermittent agitated mordenite. This simple intermittent agitated action which favored smaller particle size of mordenite could be beneficially applied for other applications dealing with bulky molecules due to the lower mass transfer limitation.