Green and efficient synthesis of mesoporous sodalite assisted by persulfate or peroxymonosulfate

Mesoporous sodalite (SOD) zeolite was fabricated from industrial waste lithium silica fume (LSF) through the reactive oxygen species (ROS) method under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation without the template. Persulfate (PS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) under UV irradiation would further induce ROS generation and result in faster crystallization to obtain highly crystalline and abundant mesopores (mesopore volume, Vmes＞0.34 cm³/g) SOD within 2 h. The ROS produced in the synthesis system were detected by electron spin resonance (EPR), and the results revealed that ·OH, O2·−, 1O2, and SO4·− may be related to the accelerating process. Zeolite produced superior adsorptive capacity (112.4 mg/g) and reusability in copper ion (Cu(II)) adsorptive experiments. The abundance of mesoporous in zeolite facilitates the removal of Cu(II) by ion exchange and hydroxyl complexation. This work opens up a new route for green and fast synthesis of zeolite and highly efficient Cu(II) removal adsorbent.