Synthesis of low-cost NaY zeolites from coal ash and their performance on C₁-C₄ hydrocarbons adsorption and separation

ABSTRACT

Light hydrocarbons (C₁-C₄) are valuable by-products of fossil fuel extraction, with potential for diverse applications after separation and purification. NaY zeolite is an appealing material widely employed for the separation of alkanes and alkenes, but its high cost is a concern. Here we presented a facile low-cost NaY zeolites preparation method from solid waste coal ash (CAY zeolite). We investigated the effect of coal ash dosage on the catalyst structure through XRD and SEM analysis, finding the addition of coal ash promotes the formation of a porous spherical structure in NaY zeolite. In addition, a performance test on the adsorption of C₁-C₄ was conducted for synthesized CAY zeolite. Remarkably, CAY-3, CAY-3.5 and CAY-4 exhibited minimal adsorption for C₁ and C₂ compounds but showed a notable adsorption capacity of 4.61 cm³/g for C₄ compounds. The CAY series also demonstrated good separation performance for C₃H₆/C₃H₈ and C₄H₈/C₄H₁₀. Specifically, CAY-3.5 demonstrated a selectivity of 7.09 for C₃H₆/C₃H₈, while CAY-6 showed a selectivity of 5.95 for C₄H₈/C₄H₁₀. Therefore, the synthesized coal ash-based CAY zeolite series exhibits promising potential for cost-effective and efficient practical applications.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Coal ash
• NaY zeolite
• adsorption
• separation
• light hydrocarbons

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51976094).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2024.2356286.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [51976094].

Notes on contributors

Liujing Yang

Liujing Yang is a graduate student majoring in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering at Ningbo University. She graduated from Zhejiang College of Science and Technology with an honors bachelor’s degree in Energy and Environmental Systems Engineering. Her research interests include efficient conversion of ortho hydrogen to para hudrogen.

Xiaoling Zheng

Xiaoling Zheng is a graduated student studying Civil Engineering and Water Conservancy. He is a civil engineer and holds a master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Water Conservancy from Ningbo University. His research focuses on efficient conversion of ortho hydrogen to para hudrogen.

Yang Wang

Yang Wang is a graduated student studying Civil Engineering and Water Conservancy. He holds a master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Water Conservancy from Ningbo University. His research focuses on biomass hydrogen production.

Yucheng Wang

Yucheng Wang is a graduated student studying Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering. He holds a master’s degree in Ship and Ocean Engineering from Ningbo University. His research focuses on biomass hydrogen production.

Yingying Zhu

Yingying Zhu is an associate professor at Ningbo University. She graduated from Zhejiang University with a PhD in Engineering Thermophysics. Her research mainly focuses on biomass indirect liquefaction for gasoline production, heat transfer enhancement in heat exchangers and photocatalytic treatment of wastewater.

Xinbao Li

Xinbao Li is an associate professor at Ningbo University. He graduated from Zhejiang University with a PhD in Engineering Thermophysics. His research mainly focuses on the high-value utilization of biomass energy (biomass hydrogen production) and development of highly efficient adsorbent materials for volatile organic pollutants.