110th Anniversary: Sustainable Synthesis of Zeolites: From Fundamental Research to Industrial Production

Toward sustainability in zeolite manufacturing: An industry perspective

Conventional zeolite manufacturing processes are highly energy-intensive and come along with a significant carbon dioxide footprint. Here, we discuss the main energy consumers and potential alternatives toward a more sustainable production of zeolites: from simple optimization efforts on existing unit operations to new and novel manufacturing concepts such as the continuous crystallization and solidothermal route toward zeolites and their industrial applicability. These efforts contribute to the global effort into transitioning manufacturing of chemicals and catalysts to a net-zero environment by cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible.

Recent Advances in the Seed-Directed Synthesis of Zeolites without Addition of Organic Templates

Zeolites have been widely employed in fields of petroleum refining, fine chemicals and environmental protection, but their syntheses are always performed in the presence of organic templates, which have many drawbacks such as high cost and polluted wastes. In recent years, the seed-directed synthesis of zeolites has been paid much attention due to its low-cost and environmentally friendly features. In this review, the seed-directed synthesis of Al-rich zeolites with homonuclear and heteronuclear features, the seed-directed synthesis of Si-rich zeolites assisted with ethanol and the utility of seed-directed synthesis have been summarized. This review could help zeolite researchers understand the recent progress of seed-directed synthesis.

Crystallization of zeolite Beta in the presence of an anionic surfactant AESA

Organic molecules are widely used as structure directing agents, mesopore generating agents or zeolite growth modifiers in the synthesis of various zeolites. However, the organic molecules used in zeolite synthesis...

Advances in the synthesis and application of SSZ-39 zeolite

Zeolites, especially aluminosilicate zeolites, have been widely utilized in the process of petroleum refining, environmental protection, and fine chemicals. In the past decades, great attentions have been paid on the...

Copper dual-atom catalyst mediated C3–H amination of indoles at room temperature

An efficient zeolite supported copper dual-atom catalyst for C–H amination of indoles has been developed for the green synthesis of 3-diarylaminoindoles.

Sustainable Route for Synthesizing Aluminosilicate EU-1 Zeolite

Developing sustainable routes for the synthesis of zeolites is still a vital and challenging task in zeolite scientific community. One of the typical examples is sustainable synthesis of aluminosilicate EU-1 zeolite, which is not very efficient and environmental-unfriendly under hydrothermal condition due to the use of a large amount of water as solvent. Herein, we report a sustainable synthesis route for aluminosilicate EU-1 zeolite without the use of solvent for the first time. The physicochemical properties of the obtained EU-1 zeolite are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), N₂ sorption, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis, and solid nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which show the product has high crystallinity, uniform morphology, large BET surface area, and four-coordinated aluminum species. Moreover, the impact of synthesis conditions is investigated in detail. The sustainable synthesis of aluminosilicate EU-1 zeolite under solvent-free.

Advances in the Synthesis of Ferrierite Zeolite

As one of the most important porous materials, zeolites with intricate micropores have been widely employed as catalysts for decades due to their large pore volume, high surface area, and good thermal and hydrothermal stabilities. Among them, ferrierite (FER) zeolite with a two-dimensional micropore structure is an excellent heterogeneous catalyst for isomerization, carbonylation, cracking, and so on. In the past years, considering the important industrial application of FER zeolite, great efforts have been made to improve the synthesis of FER zeolite and thus decrease the synthesis cost and enhance catalytic performance. In this review, we briefly summarize the advances in the synthesis of FER zeolite including the development of synthesis routes, the use of organic templates, organotemplate-free synthesis, the strategies of morphology control, and the creation of intra-crystalline mesopores. Furthermore, the synthesis of hetero-atomic FER zeolites such as Fe-FER and Ti-FER has been discussed.

Comprehensive Understanding of the Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Zeolites: Needs of 21st Century Sustainable Chemical Industries

Zeolites have taken a leading position in petrochemical, fine, and bulk chemical industries due to their porous architecture, pore sizes, tunable acidity, and thermal stability. Various strategies of zeolites preparation, including template-free, solvent-free, and toxic mineral-free strategies are summarized. Moreover, the zeolite synthesis using naturally occurring minerals and sustainable natural templates is also discussed, which involves the synthesis of nanocrystalline zeolites of different framework structures using plant-based natural templates and biomass-derived renewable chemicals. Overall this personal account provides the fundamentals of various sustainable synthetic strategies reported in the literature for the synthesis of zeolites with suitable examples that will be useful for the students and will motivate experienced researchers to develop various novel sustainable methods for the synthesis of zeolites and other inorganic materials of industrial relevance.

Illuminating solvent-free synthesis of zeolites

With the merits of the accelerated crystallization process, high volume yields, and reduced waste production, solvent-free syntheses give new opportunities for the fabrication of zeolites. In this Frontier, a background overview is provided, consisting of a brief introduction of challenges in traditional zeolite syntheses and how solvent-free syntheses provide the right combination of properties for achieving a more sustainable route. Next, recent advancements in zeolites synthesized under solvent-free conditions are exemplified along with discussions about the strategies and principles involved. Finally, the remaining challenges and opportunities for this synthetic route are outlined.