Applications of Zeolites in Sustainable Chemistry

Abstract

To face the global sustainability issues arising from rapid industry development and population increase, many efforts have been made to develop new materials and technologies toward renewable energy and environmental improvement. Zeolites are a family of crystalline materials with orderly distributed micropores in molecular dimensions. As the most important solid catalysts used in traditional petrochemical industries, zeolites are also finding promising applications in many sustainable processes given their unique shape selectivity, adsorption and ion-exchange capability, high hydrothermal stability, tunable acidity and polarity, and low production costs. In this review, we present the state-of-the-art applications of zeolites as potential solutions to the sustainability issues, including biomass conversion, fuel cells, thermal energy storage, CO2 capture and conversion, air-pollution remediation, and water purification, etc. Zeolites, also called molecular sieves, are traditionally referred to as a family of aluminosilicate materials consisting of orderly distributed micropores in molecular dimensions. They have been widely used as highly efficient catalysts, adsorbents, and ion exchangers in petrochemical industries and in our daily life. Beyond these traditional applications, zeolites are playing an increasingly important role in many sustainable processes. In particular, zeolites have found promising applications in the fields of renewable energy and environmental improvement, such as biomass conversion, fuel cells, thermal energy storage, CO2 capture and conversion, air-pollution remediation, and water purification, etc. These applications make zeolites potential candidates as solutions to the sustainability issues in our society. Beyond their traditional applications in petrochemical industries and in our daily life, zeolites are playing an increasingly important role in many sustainable processes. In particular, zeolites have found promising applications in the fields of renewable energy and environmental improvement, such as biomass conversion, fuel cells, thermal energy storage, CO2 capture and conversion, air-pollution remediation, and water purification, etc. These applications make zeolites potential candidates as solutions to the sustainability issues in our society.