Molten-salt method for the synthesis of zeolitic materials

Characterization of zeolitic materials synthesized by the newly developed molten-salt method was carried out. Their physicochemical properties were investigated and compared to those of zeolitic materials prepared by the conventional hydrothermal method. The molten-salt method exhibited much less elemental loss during the zeolitization process. The product yield based on the reaction weight was about twice as high in the molten-salt method as in the hydrothermal method. The molten-salt method resulted in zeolitic materials with higher purity, larger contents of alkali metals, lower pH values, and lower cation exchange capacity (higher Si/Al ratio). Salt occlusion also took place in the cavities of the resulting zeolites during the zeolitization of fly ash by the molten-salt method. It seems, therefore, apparent that the high temperature and dry conditions in the molten-salt method lead to zeolitic materials which are somewhat different from hydrothermally synthesized zeolitic materials.