Synthesis and evaluation of zeolite surface-modified perlite

Abstract

Perlite is a volcanic glass composed mainly of amorphous aluminum silicate that has SiO2 and Al2O3 with fewer impurities such as heavy metals as its main components. Amorphous (glassy) perlite with physical properties such as lightweight and excellent heat resistance, fire resistance, chemical resistance and heat-insulating properties is used in lightweight aggregates and insulation. It has also been used as a filter aid after grinding foamed perlite. It has not been used as an environmental cleanup materials, however, because the ion-exchange capacity of perlite is very low. In this study, we tried to synthesize a hybrid filter aid with a chemical adsorption capability by synthesizing zeolite on the surface of the perlite to enhance its filtering abilities. Observation of scanning electron microscope images was conducted to confirm the generation of Linde Type A (LTA-type) zeolites on the surface of the perlite. LTA-type zeolites were found to be precipitated on the surface of perlite from the transmission electron microscope observation results.