Comparative Study on the Catalytic Performance of a 13X Zeolite and its Dealuminated Derivative for Biodiesel Production

Natural kaolin clay was used to successfully prepare 13X zeolite catalysts, which were modified by dealumination with citric acid. Acid leaching eliminates impurities and aluminum, and improves the Si/Al ratio of the zeolite framework. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of both the original and modified 13X zeolites were the same, indicating that the crystalline frameworks were not destroyed during the dealumination process. X-ray fluorescence data of the dealuminated 13X zeolite showed an improved Si/Al ratio. Also, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used for the characterization of the catalysts. The catalytic performance of the original and modified catalysts was tested in the esterification reaction of oleic acid in a batch reactor. A higher conversion of oleic acid was obtained using the modified 13X zeolite. The resulting experimental data from the esterification reactions were fitted to the heterogeneous Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) kinetic model to determine the rates of reaction. The results of the reaction kinetics showed an increase in the rate of reaction velocity and a distinct decrease in the activation energy when using the modified zeolite, indicating that employing the modified catalyst will give a higher conversion over a shorter time through a reaction with less sensitivity to temperature. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Prepared 13X Zeolite as a Promising Adsorbent for the Removal of Brilliant Blue Dye from Wastewater

The research discussed the possibility of adsorption of Brilliant Blue Dye (BBD) from wastewater using 13X zeolite adsorbent, which is considered a byproduct of the production process of potassium carbonate from Iraqi potash raw materials. The 13X zeolite adsorbent was prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction that showed a clear match with the standard 13X zeolite. The crystallinity rate was 82.15% and the crystal zeolite size was 5.29 nm. The surface area and pore volume of the obtained 13X zeolite were estimated. The prepared 13X zeolite showed the ability to remove BBD contaminant from wastewater at concentrations 5 to 50 ppm and the removal reached 96.60% at the lower pollutant concentration. Adsorption measurements versus time showed 48.18% removal of the dye during just the first half-hour and the maximum removal closest to the removal at the equilibrium after one and half hour. Langmuir isotherm was described the adsorption equilibrium data with a maximum adsorption capacity of 93.46 mg/g and the kinetics data of the adsorption process was followed the pseudo-second-order.

Effect of a modified 13X zeolite support in Pd-based catalysts for hydrogen oxidation at room temperature

This study investigated the effect of a modified 13X zeolite to Pd/zeolite catalyst on the oxidation of hydrogen to ensure safety from hydrogen leakage.