Synthesis of Zeolite Molecular Sieve from Coal Fly Ash and its Performance in Adsorption and Removal of Ammonia Nitrogen from Wastewater

Abstract The Earth has relatively abundant coal resources, and a large amount of solid fly ash waste is generated with the development of industry. The synthesis of zeolites from waste coal fly ash has become an increasingly promising remedy for the crisis of coal fly ash production and disposal. The results of the study showed that the zeolite molecular sieve derived from fly ash exhibited good activity in the adsorption and removal of ammonia nitrogen from wastewater. The synthesized zeolite molecular sieves were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, TG analysis, EDS image mapping, and low‐temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. Furthermore, the influences of time, pH, temperature, type of competing cation in solution, and initial concentration of ammonium chloride on the adsorption experiment were also explored. The catalysts exhibited good catalytic reactivity superior to other commonly used aluminosilicate catalysts. In addition, the recyclability experiment indicated that the molecular sieve derived from coal fly ash displayed recyclability.