A Novel Approach for the Synthesis of Zeolite Y

In this study, a novel approach for the synthesis of zeolite Y is described. The effect of varying the starting silica source on the purity of zeolite Y was investigated, while all other reaction parameters were kept constant. The purity of zeolite was expressed in terms of percent crystallinity obtained from the powder XRD. The silica sources were all powders of varying types (except for silica sol). To study the influence of the varying silica sources on the purity of the resulting zeolite Y, the best gel composition and synthesis condition for one batch were chosen. The gel composition was 4Na2O:1Al2O3:6SiO2:200H2O. The aging temperature and duration of aging were chosen as room temperature and 120 h, respectively. The synthesis temperature and synthesis time were 100 °C and 48 h. The experiments were all conducted in sealed 30 mL Teflon bottles. The extent to which the pure zeolite Y was formed depended on the BET specific surface area of the silica sources (ranging from 150 to 300 m2/g) but not on the synthesis conditions. This novel method for zeolite Y preparation allows one to eliminate the vigorous agitation step required for the preparation of a homogeneous silica solution, thereby simplifying the synthesis of zeolite Y in one single vessel.