Zeolites are crystalline aluminosilicates possessing a 3D-network structure. More than 150 structures of zeolite have been identified, several of which are widely used for various applications such as catalysis, adsorption and separation [1]. One of the important applications of zeolites lies in the petro-chemical industry, where micron-sized zeolites such as FAU-Y and ZSM-5 are commonly used in catalytic cracking. One approach to enhance the performance of zeolites for such applications is to synthesize nano-sized zeolites rather than micron-sized zeolites, as small particle size results in a higher specific surface area and more Bronsted acid active sites being available for reaction. While several methods have been attempted in the literature for the synthesis of nanozeolites, not all of the problems pertaining to nano-Zeolite synthesis have been successfully resolved, such as dependency on the use of a tertiary-amine-based structure directing agent and co-template, long synthesis times, low yield and stability [2, 3]. The present work focuses on the production of nano-sized Zeolite-Y without utilizing conventional amine templates. A simple and straightforward method was developed for the synthesis of nano Zeolite-Y using starch as the sole template. It was observed that starch gel prepared <i>in-situ</i> by mixing starch with NaOH played a crucial role in controlling the size of Zeolite-Y. The synthesized nano-zeolite-Y was characterized using several physico-chemical techniques such as XRD, SEM, TEM and nitrogen physisorption. Further studies to explore different starch-based synthetic routes for nano-Zeolite-Y as well as its potential in catalytic cracking are currently underway in our laboratory.

Control synthesis of nano-sized Zeolite-Y using starch gel as the sole template for catalytic cracking applications

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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