Synthesis of zeolite materials based on dispersed microspheres from fly ash from coal combustion and their sorption properties in relation to Pb(II) and Cd(II)

Abstract

The influence of the composition of two narrow fractions of dispersed microspheres from fly ash from coal combustion and synthesis conditions on the production of microspherical monozeolite materials of a certain structural type was studied. The possibility of using synthesis products as Pb2+ and Cd2+ sorbents was assessed. It has been established that zeolitization products based on microspheres with a high content of glass phase (more than 90 wt. %) are monolithic solid materials of the geopolymer type, consisting of agglomerated microsphere residues and zeolite phases and, depending on the synthesis temperature, contain mainly one zeolite phase – NaX (FAU), NaP1 (GIS) or analcime (ANA). A simultaneous increase in the alkali concentration and the temperature of hydrothermal treatment led to a deeper transformation of glass microspheres and partial agglomeration of product particles with the formation of granules up to 100 microns in size. The product of alkaline activation of microspheres with a lower glass phase content (~65 wt. %) is a dispersed material based on unreacted microspheres, zeolite phases, mullite and quartz. Most zeolite products in the low Pb2+ and Cd2+ concentration range (not higher than 20 mg/l) were characterized by high solution purification parameters – KD up to 105 ml/g, the degree of extraction was up to 99%, while the most effective were sorbents based on zeolite phases NaP1 and analcime. Sorption isotherms of Pb2+ and Cd2 were approximated using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. It has been established that the sorption of heavy metals from dilute solutions is best described by the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. It has been shown that Pb2+/Cd2+ exchange forms of zeolite materials as a result of thermal exposure at 1000 оC undergo a phase transformation with the formation of mineral-like feldspar phases including lead (PbAl2Si2O8) or cadmium (CdAl2Si2O8).