Modification of zeolite Na-X, sodalite and cancrinite in salt melts

The possibility of occlusion in melts of useful components of some of the most economically advantageous materials, obtained during zeolitization of fly ash – Na-X, sodalite and cancrinite, was investigated. A very high degree of occlusion of ZnCl₂ in zeolite Na-X was achieved along with complete exchange of Na extra framework cations with Zn²⁺. By elution, it was proved that, in the interaction of zeolite Na-X with ZnCl₂ melt, occlusion takes place without destroying the zeolite aluminum-silicate framework. In a KNO₃ melt, in the narrowest pore structure – the sodalite structure, occlusion does not proceed, only ion exchange occurs. Through computer modeling, the ion exchange of both the charge-balancing cations and the synthetically incorporated cation-anion pairs has been proven. The interaction of cancrinite-SO₄ with a KNO₃ melt results in the formation of a material with an altered cationic composition and occluded KNO₃, which gradually comes out of the structure upon elution. The results obtained in the work can be a basis for the development of future applications of the modified minerals as materials with antibacterial properties (occluded ZnCl₂ in the structure of zeolite Na-X) and as slow-acting fertilizers or micro-fertilizers (occluded with KNО₃ cancrinite and sodalite forms).