Analcime zeolite beads prepared from mineral clays for CO₂ capture application

Abstract This research focuses on the CO 2 capture capacity and physical properties of granulated beads using zeolite ANA synthesized from metakaolin as the raw material, which was obtained from using an alkaline solution for hydrothermal treatment at ambient conditions without any additional sources of silica or alumina. The resulting powder was then granulated with bentonite to improve mechanical strength and sodium alginate to perform a cross-linking reaction with barium chloride. The synthesized zeolite powder ANA and the beads were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX). The mechanical strength of the beads was also examined. The CO 2 adsorption capacity of the beads was investigated using a CO 2 /N 2 mixed gas stream with activation conditions in vacuum environments at 150 °C, 200 °C, and 300 °C, respectively. It was examined that the mechanical strength of the beads gradually declined with rising activation temperature, as a result of sodium alginate degradation. In addition, the highest CO 2 adsorption capacity was recorded about 0.46 mmol/g on the sample which was activated at 200 °C.