Mild modification method for the generation of mesoporosity in synthetic and natural mordenite

Zeolites are widely used as acid catalysts for the synthesis of fine chemicals in industrial processes. However, in most cases, diffusion limitations in the microporous network of zeolites prevents a good catalytic performance. In this sense, in the course of our research we have modified synthetic and natural mordenite zeolites by mild dealumination/desilication process to obtain mesoporosity. Commercial mordenite (CBV21A Si/Al = 10.5), and natural mordenite from Ethiopia (Si/Al = 6.2) have been treated under mild conditions (pH = 6) in order to maintain high crystallinity in the final zeolites. The impact of this mild treatment (based on ammonium acetate) is remarkable in the synthetic mordenite, creating good degree of mesoporosity while maintaining the bulk Si/Al ratio and crystallinity of the sample. In the case of the natural mordenite, the treatment leads to strong increase in the crystallinity of the sample, although only small mesoporosity is created. All samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). KEY WORDS: Zeolites, Mordenite, Natural mordenite, Modification, Mesoporous zeolites Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2015, 29(1), 95-103DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v29i1.

Dinuclear metal complexes derived from a bis-chelating heterocyclic ligand

4,6-bis-{1-[(4,6-dichloro-[1,3,5]triazine-2-yl)-hydrazone]-ethyl-benzene-1,3-diol, C16H12N10O2Cl4 (H2-BDTD), and Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes derived from its dibasic bis-chelating form (BDTD2- or L2-) were prepared in methanol-triethylamine and characterized by MS, NMR, IR, UV-VIS and AA spectroscopic studies. Conductivities, magnetic susceptibility measurements and thermal analyses showed bis- N,N,O donor behavior of L2-. The analytical data indicate that the metal to ligand ratio is 2:1 in all the complexes. The coordination of triethylamine, water and chloride ion are observed in the Co(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) complexes. The absence of ionizable or coordinated chloride in Cu(II) complex is a notable feature. Octahedral geometry for Co(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) and square planar geometry for Cu(II) complexes are proposed. The paramagnetic complexes exhibit subnormal magnetic moments at room temperature (RT)

Adsorptive removal of fluoride from water using nanoscale aluminium oxide hydroxide (AlOOH)

In this study the fluoride removal potential of nanoscale aluminium oxide hydroxide (nano-AlOOH) has been investigated. The material was produced using aluminium nitrate (Al(NO3)3.9H2O, 95%), and ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3, 98%) and its density and mineralogy were investigated. A series of batch adsorption experiments were carried out to assess parameters that influence the adsorption process. The parameters considered were contact time and adsorbent dose, initial fluoride concentration, and pH. Results showed that most of the adsorption took place during the first 30 min; and equilibrium was reached at one hour contact time with an optimum adsorbent dose of 1.6 g L-1 for initial fluorideconcentration of 20 mg L-1. The removal efficiency of fluorideincreased with increase in adsorbent dosage. The fluoride removal efficiency was increased as the pH of the solution increases from pH 3 to 8, but any further increase in pH led to a decrease in fluoride removal efficiency. Maximum adsorption occurred at around pH 7 with initial fluoride concentration of 20 mg L-1. The adsorption data were well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 62.5 mg F- g-1. The kinetic studies showed that the adsorption of fluoride by nano-AlOOH obeys a pseudo-second order rate equation. The intraparticle diffusion was not a rate-controlling step for the adsorption process. Thus, the overall study indicates that nano-AlOOH is an efficient defluoridating material. KEY WORDS: Nanoscale AlOOH, Defluoridation, Fluoride removal efficiency, Adsorption capacity, Adsorption kinetics, Adsorption mechanism Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2014, 28(2), 215-227.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v28i2.

Synthesis of zeolite A using raw kaolin from Ethiopia and its application in removal of Cr(III) from tannery wastewater

BACKGROUND: The commercial production of zeolite A mainly involves costly synthetic chemicals. However, cheaper raw materials such as clay minerals, coal ashes, natural zeolites, solid wastes and industrial sludge have been tested. Based on this, the objective of the present study is synthesis of zeolite A from two sources of raw kaolins (Ansho and Bombowha) from Ethiopia and evaluation of its application in tannery wastewater treatment. RESULTS: The synthesis result indicated high crystallinity (>90%) of zeolite A using Ansho kaolin. Lower grade Bombowha kaolin yielded zeolite A with crystallinity of 80%. In the tannery wastewater treatment study, a real sample having chromium concentration of 2036 mg L-1 was treated, obtaining 99.8% removal and about 200 mg g-1 adsorption capacity of Cr(III) using 100 g L-1 and 5 g L-1 adsorbent dose, respectively. This indicated that the synthesized zeolite A has great potential for Cr(III) removal from tannery wastewater. CONCLUSION: In this study, zeolite A has been synthesized from two sources of kaolin from Ethiopia and has been evaluated in tannery wastewater treatment. The synthesis result indicated the formation of crystals of zeolite A with optimum crystallinity of 91% and the material exhibited chromium removal efficiency of 99.8%

Conversion of glucose into platform chemicals using aluminophosphates (SAPO-5 and MeAPO-5) in [BMIM]Cl ionic liquid

The conversion of glucose into platform chemicals such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, levulinic acid and formic acid has been investigated using two aluminophosphate based zeotypes (SAPO-5 and MeAPO-5) catalysts in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [BMIM]Cl ionic liquid as a reaction medium. The silico aluminophosphates (SAPO-5) and metal aluminophosphates (MeAPO-5) were designed and chosen for their tunable amount and strength of acid sites. The dehydration of glucose using each catalyst gave more than 90% glucose conversion. Among all the catalysts tested, the most hydrophilic SAPO-5 (1.5T) results in a better 5-HMF yield of 8% at 100 °C and 6 h reaction time. Contrary to this, the more hydrophobic SAPO-5 gives higher yield of levulinic acid and formic acid and no 5-HMF yield at this particular reaction time. In general, despite the higher glucose conversion attained by these aluminophosphate based catalysts, the lower yield obtained by these materials can be attributed to the type of acidity and the incompatibility of the pore diameter of the AFI channels of the catalysts and the desired products. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v28i1.

Comparison of the defluoridation capacity of zeolites from Ethiopia and Mexico

Fluorosis, either dental or skeleton, is often due to the high fluoride content of well waters. In this work, using solutions which contain different amounts of fluoride, natural zeolites from Ethiopia and Mexico were tested. It is shown that, although zeolites are known to be cationic exchangers, their extra-framework aluminum and their high calcium contents determine their performance. A mechanism involving adsorption and ion exchange is proposed. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v29i1.

Ethiopian natural zeolites for photocatalysis

The combination of zeolites and photochemistry has recently shown excellent results due to the special structure of the zeolites that helps a better use of the solar energy improving the selectivity of the chemical reactions carried out. There are several reports on the preparation of TiO2 confined nanoparticles in synthetic zeolites. However, very few reports are found on the use of natural zeolites. Zeolites are a vast natural resource in Ethiopia that remains unexploited. Their microporous structure can accommodate a wide variety of cations such as sodium, potassium and magnesium among others. The main objective of our work was to test the potential use of the naturally occurring zeolites, with high content in titanium, as photocatalysts. The samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical analysis (ICP-OES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and photocatalytic activities of the samples were tested in photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v29i3.1