Research and application of natural zeolite in the processes of gas purification and drying

This article describes the adsorption capability of natural zeolites for the purification and dehydration of natural gases. Studies were carried out with natural clinoptilolite treated with various cadmium and titanium solutions. Zeolite-containing rocks were used as a natural adsorbent and experiments using a synthetic CaA zeolite were also carried for comparison. The experiments showed that zeolite from the Ai-Dag deposits possesses the highest activity in terms of sulfur compound. Its activity is closer to that of synthetic CaA zeolite. Studies showed that natural zeolites and adsorbents obtained on their basis allow the gas to be dehydrated to a dew point temperature of minus 40-45 °C. This is sufficient to prepare gas for transportation directly from the fields under any climatic conditions. Keywords: gas dehydration; zeolite; adsorbent; sulfur compounds.

REDUCTION OF METAL CATIONS CONTENT FROM THE AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS BY SORBENTS

The article presents the results of research on reducing the concentration of heavy metals, such as copper and nickel, on natural zeolite in comparison with synthetic zeolite and chemically treated natural zeolite. The reduction of the content of specific types of heavy metals from aqueous solutions was investigated by the method of sorption kinetics. The results indicate the ability of natural zeolites to compete with synthetic zeolites.

Application of Surfactant Modified Natural Zeolites for the Removal of Salicylic Acid—A Contaminant of Emerging Concern

This work aimed to test composites (surfactant modified zeolites prepared by treatment of natural zeolites—clinoptilolite (IZ CLI) and/or phillipsite (PHIL75)-rich tuffs with two different amounts of cationic surfactants: cetylpyridinium chloride (CPyCl) and Arquad® 2HT-75 (ARQ)) for the adsorption of salicylic acid (SA)—a common contaminant of emerging concern. Adsorption of SA was studied at different initial drug concentrations (in the range of 2–100 mg/L) in water solution. The Langmuir isotherm model showed the highest adsorption was achieved by bilayer composite of IZ CLI and CPyCl—around 11 mg/g. Kinetic runs were performed by using the initial drug concentration of 20 mg/L in the time interval from 0 to 75 min and pseudo-second order had good correlation with experimental data. The influence of the four different temperatures on the SA adsorption was also investigated and thermodynamic parameters suggested that the adsorption drug onto composites is an exothermic and nonspontaneous process, followed by the decrease of randomness at the solid/liquid interface during the adsorption. Zeta potential and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) had been performed for the characterization of composites after adsorption of SA confirming the presence of the drug at composite surfaces.

RATIONAL USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION IN THE PRODUCTION OF BUILDING MATERIALS

The problem of using natural zeolites and utilization of spent sorbents-zeolites used in industrial water purification processes is considered. The promising possibility of their use as additives in the production of cement and concretes, as additives to Portland cement, is shown. Zeolites are crystalline aqueous aluminosilicates containing as cations elements I and II groups of the periodic table, in particular sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium.

Influence of the Addition of Blast Furnace Slag to Alkali-Activated Mixtures Based on Natural Zeolites

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.

Effects of Siliceous Natural Nanomaterials Applied in Combination with Foliar Fertilizers on Physiology, Yield and Fruit Quality of the Apricot and Peach Trees

Siliceous natural nanomaterials (SNNMs), i.e., diatomaceous earth and natural zeolites, have a nanoporous structure with large active surfaces that adsorb cations or polarized molecules. Such nanoporous feature determines the effects related to SNNM utilization as low-risk plant protectants and soil improvers. This work used SNNMs from Romanian quarries as carriers for foliar fertilizers applied to stone-fruit trees, apricot and peach. We determined the effects of SNNMs on the physiology, yield and fruit quality of the treated stone-fruit trees. SNNM application determined impacts specific to the formation of particle films on leaves: reduced leaf temperature (up to 4.5 °C) and enhanced water use efficiency (up to 30%). Foliar fertilizers’ effects on yield are amplified by their application with SNNMs. Yield is increased up to 8.1% by the utilization of SNNMs with foliar fertilizers, compared to applying foliar fertilizer alone. Diatomaceous earth and natural zeolites promote the accumulation of polyphenols in apricot and peach fruits. The combined application of SNNMs and foliar fertilizer enhance the performance of peach and apricot trees.

M-Polynomials and Associated Topological Indices of Sodalite Materials

Natural zeolites are commonly described as macromolecular sieves. Zeolite networks are very trendy chemical networks due to their low-cost implementation. Sodalite network is one of the most studied types of zeolite networks. It helps in the removal of greenhouse gases. To study this rich network, we use an authentic mathematical tool known as M-polynomials of the topological index and show some physical and chemical properties in numerical form, and to understand the structure deeply, we compare different legitimate M-polynomials of topological indices, concluding in the form of graphical comparisons.