Effects of organic additives on crystallization process and the adsorption performances of zeolite A

Abstract

The crystallization of zeolite A was monitored by measuring the adsorption capacities of synthetic products. The influences of organic additives on the crystallization process and adsorption performances of zeolite were investigated. SDS (sodium dodecyl sulphonate), TWEEN (Tween-80), and PEG (poly(ethylene glycol)) shorten the induction period by reducing the interfacial energy while SCMC (sodium carboxymethylcellulose) can prolong the induction period by increasing the interfacial energy. TEA (triethanolamine) can also suppress the nucleation through reducing the effective supply of aluminum. All the organic additives but SCMC diminish the rate of crystal growth. CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) causes the destruction of crystal structure and reduce the concentration of OH− ions. As a result, the rate of crystal growth is significantly reduced. Meanwhile, PAM (poly(acrylamide)), SDS, TWEEN, HMTA (hexamethylenetetramine), and PEG increase the viscosities of synthesis systems, thus, diminish the growth rate. PAM restrains the transformation of zeolite A crystal into hydroxysodalite one, therefore, tremendously improves the stability of crystals of zeolite A. In addition, PAM can promote the rates of n-hexane adsorption on zeolite 5A because of the impact of PAM on the crystal-size distributions of zeolite 5A.