Ko HJ  Ko YS

Vol. 26,  No. 4, pp. 263-269, Dec.  2020
10.7464/ksct.2020.26.4.263

Zeolite Water-treatment sludge Hydrothermal synthesis Adsorption properties Characterization

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Zeolite was synthesized hydrothermally using the water-treatment sludge, and the effects of various synthesis parameters like reaction temperature, reaction time, and Na2O/SiO2 molar ratio on the crystallization of zeolite were investigated. Crystal structure, physical property, and thermal stability of zeolite crystals were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, BET nitrogen adsorption, and TGA measurements. The removal efficiencies of nitrogen in ammonia, heavy metal ions, and TOC were calculated to evaluate zeolite’s adsorption capacity. The primary chemical composition of water-treatment sludge was 28.79% Al2O3 and 27.06% SiO2. The zeolites were synthesized by merely employing the water-treatment sludge as silica and alumina sources without additional chemicals. Zeolite crystals synthesized through the water-treatment sludge were confirmed as an A-type zeolite structure. Zeolite A had the highest crystallinity obtained from a gel with the molar composition 2.1Na2O-Al2O3-1.6SiO2-65H2O after 5 h at a temperature of 90 ℃. The specific surface area of zeolite obtained was 55 m2 g-1, which was higher than commercial zeolite A. The removal efficiency of nitrogen in ammonia was 68% after 3 h of reaction time, while the removal efficiencies of Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions were 99.1% and 99.3%, respectively. These results indicate active ion exchange between Pb2+ or Cd2+ ion and Na+ ion in the zeolite framework. The adsorption experiments on the different zeolite addition conditions were performed for 3 h with 300 ppm humic acid. Based on the results, TOC’s highest efficiency was 83% when 5 g of zeolite was added.