Zeolites P1 Formation by Hydrothermal Alkali Fusion of Coal Fly Ash
Fly ash is produced from the combustion of powdered coal and used to synthesize zeolite by alkali fusion followed by hydrothermal treatment with stirring. By varying the experimental conditions different types of zeolite were produced. In this study, mixture of sodium hydroxide and fly ash in a pre-determined ratio, was milled and fused at 700°C for 1h.The resultant fused mixture added to water in a Teflon reaction vessel and incubated at a temperature of 100°C and autogenously pressure. At the end, the reaction products recovered by filtration. The synthesized zeolite was characterized using various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy. The zeolite-P1 was tested for decontamination potential of mine water. High removal efficiency was observed in the first treatment, but varied for different contaminants. The synthesised zeolite-P1 exhibited a high efficiency for the removal of heavy metal cations, such as zinc, copper, lead and cadmium from contaminated mine water.