Acidity Adjustment of HZSM-5 Zeolites by Dealumination and Realumination with Steaming and Citric Acid Treatments

This article describes a novel method for acidity adjustment of HZSM-5 zeolites with steaming and citric acid treatments and demonstrates the realumination effect of citric acid on HZSM-5 zeolites dealuminated by steaming. A series of modified HZSM-5 zeolites were prepared by streaming and/or acid treatments and characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), 27Al MAS NMR spectroscopy, hydroxyl infrared spectroscopy (OH-IR), pyridine-adsorbed infrared spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption in the present investigation. The results showed that compared with single HCl or citric acid treatment, steaming treatment, and steaming/HCl treatments, citric acid treatment after steaming exclusively increased the amount of framework Al due to reinsertion of extraframework Al into the defective sites of the steamed HZSM-5 framework. This realumination effect of the citric acid treatment on the steamed HZSM-5 zeolite, which is reported here for the first time to the best of our knowl...