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The importance of porous materials with very small crystal diameter is immensely increased
because of their large range of applications in our daily life. Mordenite falls in the category
which is a microporous, synthetic zeolite with an ideal unit cell composition of Na8. (AlO2)8.
(SiO2)40. nH2O or Na8Al8Si40O96.nH2O and a lot of work is going on its synthesis according to
its application.
But we have mainly focused on Mordenite synthesis in nanosize without adding seed and
incorporating its effect on Mordenite morphology by comparing with standard Mordenite.
Synthesis of Mordenite nanocrystals was mainly divided into three steps. The first step covered
the procedure for preparation of gel without adding seed. The gel is then converted into raw
Mordenite under hydrothermal conditions in the second step. Finally, in third step raw Mordenite
product is recovered into pure Mordenite crystals by applying washing with distilled water and
drying techniques. The effect of sans adding seed and distilled water in the sample is then
studied with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Vast range of laboratorial and industrial applications of Mordenite are summarized into three
major uses. These includes the use of Mordenite as a catalyst, as an adsorbent and as an ion
exchanging sieve. Other uses of Mordenite are also discussed.
1
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3
1.1 Definition of Zeolite: ......................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Mordenite definition by type and classifications ............................................................... 4
1.3 Structure............................................................................................................................. 4
1.4 Types and properties of zeolites: ....................................................................................... 7
1.5 Classifications .................................................................................................................... 7
1.6 Occurrences: ...................................................................................................................... 8
1.7 Mordenite and Price Group/economy: .............................................................................. 9
Chapter 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Synthesis.................................................................................................................................... 10
2.1 Chemical Reactions and their conditions: ....................................................................... 10
2.2 Procedure: ........................................................................................................................ 10
2.3 Flow Sheet ....................................................................................................................... 13
2.4 Results and Discussions: ................................................................................................. 14
Chapter 3 ....................................................................................................................................... 17
Applications .............................................................................................................................. 17
3.1 Catalysis: ......................................................................................................................... 17
3.2 Adsorption: ...................................................................................................................... 17
3.3 Ion Exchange: .................................................................................................................. 18
3.4 Other Uses: ...................................................................................................................... 18
References ..................................................................................................................................... 19
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 20
2
Chapter 1
Introduction
Since the last century, material chemistry is not only a very broad subject to study and research
but also represents an extremely important and applicable field to everyday life.
Scientists are now focusing on research, synthesis and development of Sponge-like porous
material which is one of the most important class of material chemistry.
These materials are also well known as Molecular sieves in the literature.
The term Molecular sieve is generally used for the materials which have small pores and which
may not necessarily be uniform. The examples of molecular sieves include zeolites, porous
glasses or certain type of carbons.
Since the activity and effectiveness of porous materials is enhanced as the amount of surface area
increases, Thus the most important factor in these materials is the surface area. That is why
nowadays the study and research of these materials is largely dominated by development and
enhancement of pores of these materials.
One of these materials is known as zeolite and a large amount of work is going on its
development.
1.1 Definition of Zeolite:
"A zeolite is an aluminosilicate with a tetrahedral framework structure enclosing cavities
occupied by large cations and water molecules, both of which have considerable freedom
of movement, permitting cation exchange and reversible dehydration".
Chemically zeolites have molecular formula of M nAlO2SiO2 H2O.
Where M is the charge compensating metal (It may be sodium, potassium or calcium), n and
represents the number of moles of AlO2 and SiO2 respectively and must be greater than n
(since according to Lowenstein rule, Al-O-Al bond is not permitted in the zeolite or AlO2
tetrahedral never share same oxygen ion in the framework thus Al-O-Al is not permitted in a
zeolite) and is the number of moles of water.
There are six main classes of silicate minerals if divided mineralogically and aluminosilacate
belongs to one of its class known as tectosilicates.
Tectosilicates represents a three dimensional infinite structure of SiO2 and AlO2 in which oxygen
ion is shared by neighboring tetrahedral as shown below.
3
Fig 1.1: Aluminosilicate framework of zeolites [1]
The zeolite group of minerals are obtained when tectosilicates are subdivided into several
groups.
Cations such as sodium, calcium or potassium neutralizes the negative charge incorporated by
aluminum as AlO2 tetrahedral in the above structure of aluminosilicate. The arrangement and
position of silicon and aluminum in the structure is determined by Lowenstein rule as discussed
earlier.
The ions of silicon, aluminum and oxygen in the aluminosilicate framework constitute the radii
of 0.39Ao, 0.57Ao and 1.35Ao respectively. Thus the four surrounding oxygen ions form a cavity
due to dense tetrahedral geometry in which both silicon and aluminum can neatly fit.
A three dimensional aluminosilicate skeleton having cages is formed by a crystallographic
arrangement of SiO2 and AlO2 tetrahedral. These cages are then connected through windows and
as a result a pore system is formed with a diameter depending upon the type of molecular sieve.
These pores are filled with water in case of inactivated molecular sieve and upon driving the
water out of the sieve, a highly porous crystal is obtained which can adsorb any guest molecule
but the guest molecule must be small enough to enter the pore system. At low aluminum content
or at silica to alumina ratio higher than 3, molecular sieves are stable in aqueous solution in a PH
range of 5 to 12 and can withstand stronger acid solutions and strong heating without structural
collapse.
Desorption of adsorbed molecule is possible by increasing the temperature, lowering the
pressure, or by washing for the displacement by another molecule.
4
a: 18.121 Ao
b: 20.517 Ao
c: 7.544 Ao
The most common structure of Mordenite is needle like orthorhombic crystal with c direction
elongation.
The morphology of Mordenite can be discussed by two pore channels of micro pore system of
Mordenite:
1)The pore channel which runs parallel to the c-axis (6.7 7.0 Ao). This is elliptical in shape.
2) The pore channel which runs parallel to the b-axis (2.6 5.7 Ao).
Model based on skeletal tetrahedral with silicon and aluminum in the centers is shown below.
In this model, twelve oxygen ions form the elliptical windows which give access to each pore
section.
5
natural Mordenite shown in figure 1.3 with an effective pore diameter of 4.0Ao or higher are
synthesized to widen the pores by chemical treatment thus can adsorb large molecule too.
6
1.4 Types and properties of zeolites:
Although many types of zeolites have been synthesized and their properties are discussed in the
literature, however only six most important zeolites are discussed through a table shown as
follows:
Table 1.1: Properties of Zeolites [4]
7
3- Macroporous Materials: Materials having pore diameter greater than 500Ao.
Mordenite zeolite falls in the category of microporous materials, as most of the natural and
synthetic Mordenite zeolites have average pore size less than 20Ao.
1.5.2 Classification on the basis of origin:
In various books and literature porous materials are also divided on the basis of origin.
According to this division porous zeolites are categories into:
1- Natural Zeolites
2- Synthetic Zeolites
As discussed in the properties of porous materials or molecular sieves that Mordenite zeolite
have synthetic origin. However natural deposits of Mordenite zeolite are also found in form of
composites having Mordenite mixed with other naturally occurring zeolites such as AW 300
which is the mixture of clinoptilolite and Mordenite.
1.6 Occurrences:
1.6.1 Natural Occurrence:
Natural deposits of Mordenite is found in basalt in composite form. Some natural traces of
Mordenite are also found in volcanic tuff in United States and in New Zealand, Japan, East
Africa and Canada. A 5106 tons of natural deposits of Mordenite have been found with some
non-zeolite impurities in united states. Union Carbide Corporation and the Norton Company
supply natural molecular sieves including Mordenite to meet the requirements. Also several
mineral houses provide various types of molecular sieves including Mordenite on demand.
1.6.2 Synthetic Sources:
Synthetic zeolites are prepared and can be found from the following industries:
Industry Name Location
Union Carbide Corporation (Linde Division) United States
The Norton Company United States
The Davison Chemical Company United States
The Farbenfabrik Bayer West Germany
The Ceca Company and Pechiney France
Peter Spence and Sons Ltd England
Uetikon Switzerland
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Synthetic molecular sieves including Mordenite zeolites are also manufactured in Eastern Europe
and in some territories of Russian Federation.
9
Chapter 2
Synthesis
There are many methods developed for the preparation of Mordenite zeolite depending upon the
type of transition metal and solvent used, crystal size, crystal shape and applications.
We have adopted a method which ensures the minimum crystals size and maximum crystallinity
of Mordenite zeolite from a source [5]. But the Mordenite we have prepared in this report has
following changes:
In this method we have used distilled water instead of double deionized water (DDW).
Mordenite seed is not added in the sample.
The procedure covering all the aspects of synthesis of Mordenite zeolite including chemical
reaction and its conditions, procedure, schematic diagram, explanation and product recovery is
discussed below:
The chemical reactions involved for the synthesis of Mordenite zeolite is as follows:
SiO2(S) + 2NaOH(aq) Na2SiO3(aq) + H2O(liq) Beaker A (Overnight Stirring at Ambient Conditions)
2Al(s) + 2NaOH(aq) + 2H2O(liq) 2NaAlO2(aq) + 3H2(g)Beaker B (Overnight Stirring at Ambient Conditions)
Na2SiO3(aq) + NaAlO2(aq) AlNaSi2O6.nH2O Beaker C (One Hour Stirring at Ambient Conditions)
AlNaSi2O6.nH2O Na8Al8Si40O96.nH2O Autoclave (Hydrothermal Conditions:150 C and 24 hours Stirring)
o
2.2 Procedure:
Synthesis of Mordenite is divided into three major sections:
2.2.1 Step 1
Preparation of Gel:
In this step two beakers have been taken with names as beaker A and beaker B. Mordenite with
the smallest crystal diameter was optimized to have following compositions of material in beaker
A and beaker B.
Beaker A:
Firstly 10.00 grams of distilled water was taken and then 0.84 grams of sodium hydroxide
(NaOH) and 5.60 grams of silica gel (SiO2) were added in the beaker. The beaker was covered
10
with aluminum foil and was stirred overnight with the help of magnetic stirrer assembly.
Sodium silicate was formed in this beaker at the end.
Beaker B:
At the same time solution B was prepared by taking 0.70 grams of sodium hydroxide(NaOH) and
0.30 grams of aluminum (Al) in 5.00 grams of distilled water. The solution was also covered
with aluminum foil and allowed to stir overnight. But in this case aluminum foil must be opened
by making small holes in it to vent off hydrogen gas. In this beaker sodium aluminate was
formed at the end.
Beaker C:
Solution C was made by adding solution B in solution A. But Just before mixing, 12.00 grams
and 16.80 grams of distilled water were added in beaker A and beaker B respectively.
The resultant solution is then allowed to stir for about 1 hour and a gel type mixture is formed at
the end.
2.2.2 Step 2
Nucleation of Mordenite:
A gel type sodium aluminum silicate solution made in beaker C was then shifted in Teflon lined
autoclave.
The autoclave was then shifted in conventional oven to give favorable environment for proper
nucleation of Mordenite crystals without seed under hydrothermal conditions
(Temperature:150oC and residence time:24 hours).
Important Note:
Safety must be considered while using autoclave under such hydrothermal conditions.
Autoclave must be Teflon lined to avoid corrosion due to highly basic solution.
Pressure in autoclave was calculated and material of construction and volume of
autoclave was then selected.
2.2.3 Step 3
Recovery of Mordenite crystals:
Resultant solution with impurities was then centrifuged in which the crystals and clumps
of Mordenite were separated on the basis of density from water containing impurities like
NaOH, traces of aluminum and compounds of sodium.
Crystals of Mordenite in the form of clumps with some entrained water was filtered with
ordinary filter paper.
11
The product was then washed with distilled water. Washing is necessary for optimizing
PH of product below 9, as the entrained water contains major quantity of NaOH. This
process was time consuming and took about three hours.
Then the resultant washed product was dried in conventional oven, which was operated at
100oC. Drying process was carried out overnight for proper drying.
The dried Mordenite crystals from oven were cooled at room temperature to obtain fine
crystals of Mordenite with required crystal diameter in nanometers.
12
2.3 Flow Sheet
13
2.4 Results and Discussions:
The crystals of Mordenite are characterized by using the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD)
and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results are discussed below.
2.4.1 X-ray diffraction (XRD)
The X-ray diffraction technique is widely used for determining the crystal structure and for phase
identification.
Fig 2.2: XRD pattern of: (a)Referred Mordenite [5] (b) Standard Mordenite [5] (c) Mordenite
Prepared as per procedure in this report.
As shown above the XRD results of Mordenite prepared according to the procedure adopted in
this report almost matches the referred and standard XRD results of Mordenite found in the
referred source [6]. The variation in peaks shows some extra impurities in the sample and the
irregularities and noises show that the sample has some amorphous characteristics. This is
because the seed is not added in the preparation of Mordenite and thus the crystals are less likely
to be made. Peaks at 2theta of almost 14o,20o,22o,24o, 27o,29o and 36o shows the crystalline
14
nature of sample. Peaks are not so much clear and abrupt as in referred and standard XRD results
which shows less nucleation rate and crystal growth.
The average diameter of the pore davg can be obtained from Braggs Equation as:
2davg sinavg = m
Where,
m= Any Positive Integer = 1 (in this case for example)
= Wavelength of X-rays = 1.5410-10 meters
avg = 13.232o (obtained from experimental peak data of XRD)
Putting the values in above equation we have:
davg= Average diameter of the pore = 33.646nm
15
Fig 2.3: SEM result of: (a) Standard Mordenite [6] , (b) and (c) Mordenite Prepared at an
optical zoom of 10 m and 50 m respectively.
16
Chapter 3
Applications
A wide variety of applications of Mordenite have been reported on laboratory and industrial
scale. Since the effectiveness of Mordenite is directly dependent on its surface area and pore size
so its microscopic study has revealed its tremendous applications in various fields. These
applications include its advantages in nanochemistry, electrochemistry, photochemistry, super
molecular catalysis and optoelectronics. These applications can be summarized as follows:
3.1 Catalysis:
Mordenite is widely used as a catalyst for various important reactions like alkylation,
hydrocracking, dewaxing, hydro isomerization, production of dimethyl amines and reforming
due to its high acidic and thermal stability.
Catalytic activity can be enhanced by making the pore size more and more smaller. As the pore
size is decreased, the Mordenite zeolite give more surface and contact area for the reactants.
Thus it helps to decrease the activation energy and results in fast rate of reaction. Therefore, due
to high activity and high stability, Mordenite is the best replacement with conventional cracking
catalyst. That is why in United States more than ninety percent (90%) refinery industry uses
Mordenite and other same type of molecular sieves.
3.2 Adsorption:
The nano-sized Mordenite is used as an adsorbent due to less diffusional limitations. As the size
of crystal is decreased, the surface area is increased and the reactant species will now diffuse
more. So as the size of Mordenite is decreased, its adsorption capacity is enhanced.
Thus an excellent separation can be achievable as the small molecules are selectively entered in
the pores with less diffusional limitations.
Therefore, it is widely used in laboratory as well as in industry for the adsorptive separation of
gases or liquid mixtures. For example, it is used for selective adsorption of branched and
unbranched paraffins to upgrade certain petrol fractions and for the exhaustive drying of gases
and liquids
It is also used in industry for the adsorption of permanent reactive, volatile and harmful
components from gases. For example, the adsorption of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from natural gas
and removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from exhaust gasses. Mordenite, in all the adsorption
applications, acts as an inert carrier which can be recovered by heating and by displacement of
another adsorbent such as water.
17
3.3 Ion Exchange:
Mordenite is used as a high capacity ion exchanging sieve in various industries and plants. The
major applications include the recovery of radioactive ions from the waste stream and the
purification of water by ion exchange method.
3.4 Other Uses:
Other uses include the wide applications in nonlinear optics, semiconductors and chemical
sensors. It is also used in the production of thin film fibers and self-standing membrane.
18
References
19
Bibliography
20
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S.L. Suib, Zeolites 16 (1996) 125.
Y. Zhang, Z. Xu, Q. Chen, J. Memb. Sci. 210 (2002) 361.
T. Selvam, W. Schwieger, Stud. Surf. Sci. Catal. 142A (2002)
407.
H.P. Klug, L.E. Alexander, X-ray Diffraction Procedures for
Polycrystalline and Amorphous Materials, Wiley-Interscience,
New York, 1974, p. 540.
R. Szostak, Molecular Sieves, Principles of Synthesis and Identification, 2nd ed., Blackie
Academic and Professional, London,
1998, p. 290.
J.I. Langford, J.C. Wilson, J. Appl. Cryst. 11 (1978) 102.
B.E. Warren, X-ray Diffraction, Adisson-Wesley, Massachusetts,
1998, p. 251.
B.O. Hincapie et al. / Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 67 (2004) 1926 25
H. Lechert, Micropor. Mesopor. Mater. 40 (2000) 181.
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