Effect of rapid heating on microwave-assisted synthesis of SAPO-34 membranes

Abstract

In recent years, a new synthesis method that combines hydrothermal crystallization with a microwave (MW) heating technique has been developed for the synthesis of zeolites as well as zeolite membranes. Nevertheless, the effects of MW heating on the zeolite crystallization and the zeolite membrane formation are still unclear. In this study, SAPO-34 membranes were hydrothermally synthesized from two synthesis solutions of different concentrations using MW and conventional electric heating and the membrane formation processes were compared. The results indicated that MW heating accelerated the formation of SAPO-34 membranes regardless of the synthesis solution concentration. The effect of MW heating was particularly marked in the synthesis from dilute solution due to the rapid heating to the crystallization temperature.