Free-template aluminum-rich ZSM-5 membranes: Synthesis and characterization via in situ nucleation method

ZSM-5 zeolite membrane with low Si/Al ratios (ca. 12-13.5) was successively synthesized in the absence of organic template by in situ nucleation on the surface of α -Al2O3 support disks. The molar compositions of the reactants were 3.25 Na2O: Al2O3: 30 SiO2: 958 H2O. The as-synthesized membrane was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with electron dispersive X-ray (EDX). The membrane synthesis process took 40 h, and was carried out under hydrothermal condition, at autogenic pressure, at a static condition of 185°C. Permeation experiments were conducted using pervaporation of Ethanol/water and Isopropanol/water for quality assessment of obtained membrane.

Keywords:

ZSM-5 , Zeolite membrane , Rich- Alumina ZSM-5 , Template-free