Preparation of porous P-type zeolite spheres with suspension solidification method

This paper describes a simple and effective process for fabricating porous P-type zeolite spheres from metakaolin-based geopolymers. The spheres are first synthesized by a suspension solidification method that is based on the rapid solidification mechanism of geopolymer slurries in high-temperature suspensions. The spheres are then transformed into zeolite by an in situ hydrothermal process at 140 degrees C for 10 h. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses indicated that the spheres are constructed by P-type zeolites. Analysis of the pore structure of geopolymer and zeolite spheres revealed that BET surface area is 4.21 m(2)/g and 42.08 m(2)/g, respectively. The increased surface area of the porous zeolite spheres is attributed to the use of sodium dodecyl sulfate (K-12). This work provides a possible way for continuous-mode water treatment (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.