Synthesis of Zeolite A from Aloji Kaolin to investigate its Performance in Hard Water Softening

Abstract

Abstract:AlojiKaolin was used as a combined sourced of silica and alumina to synthesize Zeolite A in this study. The raw Aloji kaolin was purified via sedimentation process to get rid of the underlying impurities such as quartz and this was then followed by metakaolinization at 800oC for 2h to incur reactive metakaolin phase. The purified and calcined kaolin were used to synthesize Zeolite A through conventional hydrothermal crystallization method. The synthesized Zeolite A was characterised by Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The synthesis parameters of Zeolite A synthesized through conventional hydrothermal route was 1M NaOH, crystallization temperature of 100oC and crystallization time of 6h after aging for 6h at room temperature. The synthesized Zeolite A was used for softening of hard water containing 76ppm of calcium ions for Gidan Kwano water sample and 178ppm of calcium ions for Maitumbi water sample, the synthesized zeolite A was able to reduce the hardness to 4ppm and 6ppm respectively for both water samples within 40 minutes of treatment. Zeolite A was successfully synthesized from Aloji kaolin and can be used for water softening.