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Water pollution, particularly from heavy metals, poses a significant threat to global health, necessitating efficient and environmentally friendly removal methods. This study introduces novel zeolite-based adsorbents, specifically alkali-activated foamed zeolite (AAFZ), for the effective adsorption of Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorbents' capabilities were comprehensively characterized through kinetic and isotherm analyses. Alkaline activation induced changes in chemical composition and crystalline structure, as observed via XRF and XRD analyses. AAFZ exhibited a significantly larger pore volume (1.29 times), higher Si/Al ratio (1.15 times), and lower crystallinity compared to ZZ50, thus demonstrating substantially higher adsorption capacity for Cu(II) and Ni(II) compared to ZZ50. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacities of ZZ50 and AAFZ for Cu(II) were determined to be 69.28 mg/g and 99.54 mg/g, respectively. In the case of Ni(II), the maximum monolayer adsorption capacities for ZZ50 and AAFZ were observed at 48.53 mg/g and 88.99 mg/g, respectively. For both adsorbents, the optimum pH for adsorption of Cu(II) and Ni(II) was found to be 5 and 6, respectively. Equilibrium was reached around 120 min, and the pseudo-second-order kinetics accurately depicted the chemisorption process. The Langmuir isotherm model effectively described monolayer adsorption for both adsorbents. Furthermore, the regeneration experiment demonstrated that AAFZ could be regenerated for a minimum of two cycles using hydrochloric acid (HCl). These findings highlight the potential of the developed adsorbents as promising tools for effective and practical adsorption applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated concentrations of heavy metals in natural waters can cause significant ecological problems. It is therefore essential to ensure their removal from any water discharged into the environment immediately, especially in case of an accident, where there is a risk of releasing large quantities or high concentrations. The aim of this paper is to test a newly developed adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions—in particular, it is very fast adsorption, and thus efficiency, during clean-ups. The alkali-activated foamed zeolite adsorbent was laboratory-prepared and -tested in both batch and flow-through arrangements on single and multi-component solutions and compared with natural zeolite. The experimental setup for batch adsorption consisted of a set of samples and solutions containing iron, cobalt, manganese, zinc and nickel. The samples were put on a horizontal shaker with a 500 mg adsorbent loading in a 50 mL solution. The column adsorption experimental setup consisted of a glass column with an inside diameter of 15 mm and a bed length of 165 mm. A measured amount of each adsorbent was added to the column to achieve a filter fixed-bed height of 160 mm. The high efficiency of the tested adsorbent on various heavy metals was confirmed. The adsorbent has a high potential for use in decontamination processes, water protection and landscape revitalization. Due to its rapid precipitation and subsequent fixation of metal cations in the form of insoluble oxide or hydroxide, it can be used as an emergency adsorbent, the great advantage of which is its low production cost and natural origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on a comparison of alkali-activated materials based on natural zeolites without and with the addition of blast furnace slag and their subsequent modification by acid leaching. The addition of slag to alkali-activated mixtures is generally used to increase the strength. The subsequent modification of its chemical, textural and mechanical properties by acid leaching makes this material usable in other industries, especially in the chemical industry. This study aimed to examine the influence of the addition of blast furnace slag to alkali-activated mixtures based on natural zeolites and observe the effect of subsequent acid leaching on the chemical, textural and mechanical properties and CO2 adsorption capacity of these materials. The modification of alkali-activated materials was carried out by acid leaching using 0.1 M HCl and then using 3 M HCl. The properties of these materials were determined using N2 physisorption, Hg porosimetry, XRF, XRD, DRIFT, TGA and strength measurements. The results showed that the addition of blast furnace slag significantly increased the cutting-edge strength of the obtained materials and affected the textural properties, especially in leached samples. The presence of blast furnace slag generated a higher proportion of mesopores, which are attributed to the presence of the calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) phase and are easily removed by leaching, as shown by the XRF results. The obtained data showed an improvement in properties and extension of the potential applicability of these materials in the chemical industry, especially for catalytic and adsorption applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we studied the effect of alkali-activated zeolite foams modifications on properties and catalytic activity of cobalt phases in the process of catalytic decomposition of N2O. The zeolite foam supports were prepared by alkali activation of natural zeolite followed by acid leaching and ion exchange. The cobalt catalysts were synthesised by a different deposition technique (direct ion exchange (DIE) and incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) method of cobalt on zeolite foams. For comparison, catalysts on selected supports were prepared and the properties of all were compared in catalytic tests in the pellet form and as crushed catalysts to determine the effect of internal diffusion. The catalysts and supports were in detail characterized by a variety of techniques. The catalyst activity strongly depended on the structure of support and synthesis procedure of a cobalt catalyst. Ion exchange method provided active phase with higher surface areas and sites with better reducibility, both of these factors contributed to higher N2O conversions of more than 80% at 450 °C. A large influence can also be attributed to the presence of alkali metals, in particular, potassium, which resulted in a modification of electronic and acid base properties of the cobalt oxide phase on the catalyst surface. The promotional effect of potassium is better reducibility of cobalt species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural zeolites are crystalline hydrated alkali metal and alkaline earth metal aluminosilicates with unique ion-exchange and sorption properties. The exceptional structure of pores gives natural zeolites several application possibilities, especially for water treatment and construction. For a wider use of natural zeolites, such as catalysis, properties—especially chemical, textural, and mechanical—need to be modified. In this study, the basic natural zeolite foam was synthesized by alkali activation of natural zeolite with an activator (KOH + Na2SiO3) and foamed by hydrogen peroxide solution. Other foams were prepared by a partial replacement of the natural zeolite with CaO, MgO, and metakaolin (MK) and alkali activated and foamed in the same manner as the basic natural zeolite foam. Other properties of the foams were modified by acid leaching. The aim of the study was to compare the basic alkali activated zeolite foam with the CaO, MgO, and MK modified zeolite foams and determine the effect of the CaO, MgO, and MK modification and the subsequent leaching of the alkali activated zeolite foams on the textural, mechanical, and chemical properties. Properties of alkali activated zeolite foams were determined by Hg porosimetry, N2 physisorption, NH3-TPD, XRF, XRD, and strength analyses. From the data, it is apparent that all modified samples have an increase of pore volume in the mesoporous region and the partial replacement by MgO or CaO significantly increased surface area up to 288.2 m2/g while increasing the strength several times. The obtained data showed an improvement in properties and extension of the potential applicability of modified zeolite foams in the chemical industry, especially for catalytic and sorption applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foamed alkali-activated zeolite materials have been studied primarily in terms of mechanical and structural properties as potential substitutes for concrete and other building materials. However, they also have interesting textural and acid properties that make them much more useful, especially in the chemical industry. The aim of the study is to map in detail the influence of post-synthesis modifications of alkali-activated natural zeolite foams on their chemical, mechanical, and textural properties for possible use in catalytic and adsorption applications. Alkali-activated natural zeolite foam pellets were prepared by activation with mixed potassium hydroxide and sodium silicate activator and foamed using H2O2 solution. The foam pellets were post-synthetic modified by leaching with mineral and organic acids and calcination. The properties of the modified materials were characterised on the basis of XRF, XRD, N2 physisorption, DRIFT, SEM, NH3-TPD analyses, and the strength measurements. Our data showed that the basic clinoptilolite structure remains unchanged in the material which is stable up to 600 °C after acid leaching. In two-step leaching, the specific surface area increases to 350 m2/g and the leaching process allows the acid properties of the materials to be varied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]