Sustainable Synthesis of Hierarchically Porous ZSM-5 Zeolite from Iron Ore Tailings Without Secondary Templates

Currently, it is difficult to realize environmentally friendly synthesis of zeolites due to the use of the solvent. Therefore, it is of great importance to realize zeolite synthesis from iron ore tailings (IOTs) by a solvent-free method. In this work, in situ formed zeolite crystals are self-assembled and IOTs are converted into hierarchically porous ZSM-5. After that, the products prepared are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nitrogen adsorption. The results demonstrate that the samples show well-defined crystallinity and have micro-/mesoporous structures. The BET surface area is estimated to be 319.809 m 2 g −1 and the external surface area is 92.693 m 2 g −1 , which indicate the as-synthesized ZSM-5 is a good hierarchically porous material. This work provides a reference for green synthesis of hierarchically porous ZSM-5 from IOT.