Study on the physical properties and ion exchange performance of the domestic clinoptilolite

The zeolites from fifteen mines of six provinces of China were characterized by chemical composition analysis,SEM,XRD,TG-DTA,and specific surface spectroscopy analysis.Their ion exchange performances and the exchange capacities of K+ in pure potassium solution and in seawater were determined respectively.The results showed that the major component of most zeolites is clinoptilolite,No 5 zeolite is mainly composed of mordenite,and No11 and No13 zeolites are the combination of clinoptilolite and mordenite.The specific surface areas of No 6 and No7 samples are 42.48 m2/g and 40.56 m2/g,and the other samples' specific surfaces area ares between 10 and 30 m2/g.The zeolites can keep structure stable when being heated to 500 ℃,but the internal structure is destroyed at the temperature more than 500 ℃.In conclusion,ion exchange performances and exchange capacities of K+ in pure potassium solution and in seawater of No1,No2,No3,No6,No7,No9 and No15 zeolites are relatively large,respectively 110～165 mg/g,55-67 mg/g and 15～22 mg/g,so they are higher quality zeolite with higher industrial value.