Removal of chlorinated volatile organic compounds onto natural and Cu-modified zeolite: The role of chemical surface characteristics in the adsorption mechanism

• Published in: Separation and purification technology Vol. 258; p. 118080
• Main Authors: Valdés, Héctor, Riquelme, Andrés L., Solar, Víctor A., Azzolina-Jury, Federico, Thibault-Starzyk, Frédéric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.03.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adsorption mechanism; Brønsted acid sites; Catalysis; Chemical Sciences; Chlorobenzene; Infrared spectroscopy; Natural zeolite; Perchloroethylene; Brønsted acid sites; Chlorobenzene; Natural zeolite; Infrared spectroscopy; Perchloroethylene; Adsorption mechanism; chlorobenzene; perchloroethylene; natural zeolite; infrared spectroscopy
• ISSN: 1383-5866; 1873-3794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2020.118080

[Display omitted] •Water adsorbed over new Lewis acid sites formed new Brønsted acid sites.•NZ-Cu increased the adsorption capacity toward VOCCls compared to NZ.•Interactions of VOCCls with acidic surface sites of NZ-Cu were identified by DRIFTS.•VOCCl interacted with Brønsted acid sites, forming hydrogen bonding. In this study, the effect of chemical surface characteristics of natural and Cu-modified zeolite in the adsorption of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCCls) was investigated using infrared spectroscopy. A natural zeolite mainly composed of clinoptilolite and mordenite was used as a parent material. A succession of chemical and thermal treatments produced a Cu-modified natural zeolite (NZ-Cu) with higher adsorption properties toward the elimination of VOCCls. The adsorption of VOCCls onto NZ-Cu zeolite could be explained by a surface mechanism that comprises the interaction not only with Brønsted acid sites present on the original natural zeolite framework; but also with new Brønsted acid sites formed after the successive treatments.