Experimental and numerical investigation of the effect of ultrasound on the growth kinetics of zeolite A

Ultrasound is a promising technology for the improvement of zeolite production, due to its beneficial effects on mass transfer and nucleation. However, a broad understanding of the sonication parameters that influence the growth of zeolites most is still lacking. In the present work, zeolite A was synthesized and the kinetic model of Gualtieri was used to obtain information about the crystallization parameters. The effect of the sonication power and duration on the relative crystallinity and particle size distribution were investigated using a Langevin-type transducer operating at 40 kHz. The experimental data shows that ultrasound has a significant effect on the nucleation and growth. With that, a reduction of up to 40 % of the initial synthesis time can be achieved. Additionally, a narrower particle size distribution is achieved when ultrasound is used during the zeolite A synthesis.