Makgabutlane, BNthunya, LNNxumalo, ENMusyoka, Nicholas MMhlanga, SD2021-03-032021-03-032020-09Makgabutlane, B., Nthunya, L., Nxumalo, E., Musyoka, N.M. & Mhlanga, S. 2020. Microwave irradiation-assisted synthesis of zeolites from coal fly ash: An optimization study for a sustainable and efficient production process. <i>ACS Omega, 5(39).</i> http://hdl.handle.net/10204/118242470-1343http://hdl.handle.net/10204/11824Class F South African coal fly ash was used as a precursor for the synthesis of zeolite A via complete microwave irradiation. To attain optimal conditions for the synthesis of zeolite A with minimum impurities, the microwave synthesis time, irradiation power, and Si/Al ratio were varied. Sodalite with fly ash phases were obtained when the Si/Al ratio in the coal fly ash was not adjusted and when the microwave irradiated coal fly ash slurry was used instead of the extract solution. Increased microwave irradiation time power and time favored the crystallization of zeolite A phase due to sufficient energy needed to ensure the dissolution of Al and Si from coal fly ash. A Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 29.54 m2/g and a cation exchange capacity of 3.10 mequiv/g were achieved for zeolite A, suggesting its potential application as an adsorbent and cation exchange material for environmental remediation. Complete microwave irradiation offers a greener approach toward zeolite synthesis from coal fly ash compared to conventional hydrothermal and fusion methods that consume a lot of energy and require longer reaction times.FulltextenCoal fly ashClass F South African coal fly ashZeolite AArticleMakgabutlane, B., Nthunya, L., Nxumalo, E., Musyoka, N. M., & Mhlanga, S. (2020). Microwave irradiation-assisted synthesis of zeolites from coal fly ash: An optimization study for a sustainable and efficient production process. <i>ACS Omega, 5(39)</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/10204/11824Makgabutlane, B, LN Nthunya, EN Nxumalo, Nicholas M Musyoka, and SD Mhlanga "Microwave irradiation-assisted synthesis of zeolites from coal fly ash: An optimization study for a sustainable and efficient production process." <i>ACS Omega, 5(39)</i> (2020) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/11824Makgabutlane B, Nthunya L, Nxumalo E, Musyoka NM, Mhlanga S. Microwave irradiation-assisted synthesis of zeolites from coal fly ash: An optimization study for a sustainable and efficient production process. ACS Omega, 5(39). 2020; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/11824.TY - Article AU - Makgabutlane, B AU - Nthunya, LN AU - Nxumalo, EN AU - Musyoka, Nicholas M AU - Mhlanga, SD AB - Class F South African coal fly ash was used as a precursor for the synthesis of zeolite A via complete microwave irradiation. To attain optimal conditions for the synthesis of zeolite A with minimum impurities, the microwave synthesis time, irradiation power, and Si/Al ratio were varied. Sodalite with fly ash phases were obtained when the Si/Al ratio in the coal fly ash was not adjusted and when the microwave irradiated coal fly ash slurry was used instead of the extract solution. Increased microwave irradiation time power and time favored the crystallization of zeolite A phase due to sufficient energy needed to ensure the dissolution of Al and Si from coal fly ash. A Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 29.54 m2/g and a cation exchange capacity of 3.10 mequiv/g were achieved for zeolite A, suggesting its potential application as an adsorbent and cation exchange material for environmental remediation. Complete microwave irradiation offers a greener approach toward zeolite synthesis from coal fly ash compared to conventional hydrothermal and fusion methods that consume a lot of energy and require longer reaction times. DA - 2020-09 DB - ResearchSpace DP - CSIR J1 - ACS Omega, 5(39) KW - Coal fly ash KW - Class F South African coal fly ash KW - Zeolite A LK - https://researchspace.csir.co.za PY - 2020 SM - 2470-1343 T1 - Microwave irradiation-assisted synthesis of zeolites from coal fly ash: An optimization study for a sustainable and efficient production process TI - Microwave irradiation-assisted synthesis of zeolites from coal fly ash: An optimization study for a sustainable and efficient production process UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10204/11824 ER -24301