< Back to previous page

Project

Continuous zeolite production: Innovative, Sustainable and Competitive

A large number of different industrial applications represent the versatility of zeolites. Despite its large market value and undeniable value in our society, the production process of these crystalline aluminosilicates is still performed in a batch operation starting from a hydrothermal gel. Gels not only hinder crucial elementary characterization techniques, which are momentous for fundamental research but also bring a lot of barriers regarding upscaling and the conversion to a continuous process. Therefore we propose the use of an alternative synthesis method via hydrated silicate alkaline ionic liquids (HSILs). These are true ionic liquids and do not suffer from the above-mentioned disadvantages. Their chemistry is controlled and monitorable and thereby offer opportunities for both fundamental research and the industrial upscaling of the synthesis. This project aims at the development of an up-scalable and controllable plug flow zeolite reactor, which is subject to straightforward modeling, based on HSIL synthesis. This setup will offer flexibility that could be used as a high-throughput screening tool for further fundamental research, while also presenting the first step towards an industrially relevant, competitive process.

Date:13 Aug 2020 →  Today
Keywords:Zeolite, Upscaling
Disciplines:Solid state chemistry, Chemical process design, Process control
Project type:PhD project