Synthesis of “Ice\nCube” Shaped Zeolite\nA Type and Cu<sup>2+</sup> Ion-Exchanged Zeolites and Study of Their\nCO<sub>2</sub> Adsorption Performance

In this study, zeolite type A and four Cu<sup>2+</sup> ion-exchanged\nzeolites were synthesized through cationic ion exchange process with\nCu concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 M respectively. The\nphysicochemical properties of both the prepared and ion-exchanged\nzeolites were thoroughly analyzed. Field Emission Scanning Electron\nMicroscopy (FESEM) micrographs revealed that the synthesized zeolites\nexhibited an “ice cube”-shaped morphology, and this\nmorphology was maintained even after the ion exchange process. N<sub>2</sub> adsorption/desorption studies indicated a typical type IV\nisotherm with an H3 hysteresis loop for both the prepared and Cu<sup>2+</sup> ion-exchanged zeolites. CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption data followed\na type I isotherm, with the highest adsorption capacity of 4.02 mmol/g\nobserved for the 0.1 M Cu<sup>2+</sup> ion-exchanged zeolites. The\nadsorption behavior was modeled using a nonlinear isotherm, with good\nagreement between experimental and fitted data.