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Recycling silica-rich wastes in sustainable mechanochemical-hydrothermal production of zeolite Y for ammonia remediation in aquaculture

  • Original Paper: Nano- and macroporous materials (aerogels, xerogels, cryogels, etc.)
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Abstract

Silica-rich dealuminated kaolin (SRDK), produced as a by-product in alum industry, is still considered as waste materials in Egypt. Expansion of aquaculture along the banks of Nile River and its canals negatively affects water quality due to formation of ammonia. The current investigation aims to eradicate ammonia from aquaculture systems via an integrated approach of converting SRDK to pure zeolite Y in two-step process. The main constituent of SRDK is amorphous silica with a small amount of unreacted metakaolin and crystalline silica. XRD and FTIR proved that zeolitization started by mechanochemical activation at room temperature. However, hydrothermal treatment at 105 °C and 125 °C produces zeolite Y with different Si/Al ratios and microcrystalline quartz is completely reacted at 125 °C. The adsorption isotherm data of ammonia was best fitted by Freundlich model. Zeolite Y produced from 80% SRDK and 20% metakaolin at 125 °C has a high efficiency to remove ammonia from aquaculture.

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

  • Silica-rich dealuminated kaolin (SRDK) was converted to pure zeolite Y in two-step process.

  • Zeolite formation stated by Mechanochemical activation at room temperature.

  • Hydrothermal treatment at 105 °C and 125 °C produces zeolite Y with different Si/Al ratios.

  • The ammonia adsorption isotherm was best fitted by Freundlich model.

  • Zeolite Y produced from SRDK and 20% metakaolin has a high efficiency to remove ammonia from aquaculture.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at Umm Al-Qura University for supporting this work by Grant Code: (22UQU4320141DSR47). Email: rapasha@uqu.edu.sa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, 41522, Egypt

    A. Abd El-Moemen & Nasser Y. Mostafa

  2. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, 41522, Egypt

    S. A. Shata

  3. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, 24230, Saudi Arabia

    Rami Adel Pashameah

  4. Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, 24230, Saudi Arabia

    Samah A. AlSubhi

  5. Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia

    Eman Alzahrani, Abd-ElAziem Farouk, Zaki I. Zaki & M. H. H. Mahmoud

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Correspondence to Nasser Y. Mostafa.

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The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. We are the authors of the article entitled “Recycling silica-rich wastes in sustainable mechanochemical-hydrothermal production of zeolite Y for ammonia remediation in aquaculture” declare that, the article is original and has been written by the stated authors who are all aware of its content and approve its submission. The article has not been published previously and it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. There is no conflict of interest exists. We state that if the article accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in any language, without the written consent of the publisher.

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El-Moemen, A.A., Shata, S.A., Pashameah, R.A. et al. Recycling silica-rich wastes in sustainable mechanochemical-hydrothermal production of zeolite Y for ammonia remediation in aquaculture. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 106, 10–22 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-023-06066-1

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