Pure-phase zeolite beta synthesized from natural aluminosilicate minerals and its catalytic application for esterification

• A novel route for preparing pure zeolite beta from natural minerals was developed.
• Neither aluminum- and silicon-containing inorganic chemicals were used.
• The usage of the organic template was greatly reduced.
• The resulting zeolite beta with moderate acidity showed superior catalytic activity.

The use of natural aluminosilicate minerals as the low-cost starting materials for zeolite synthesis is a field of current interest. However, impurities existing in these minerals greatly affect the purity of final products. Herein, we describe a cheap and green route for synthesizing pure-phase zeolite beta from natural aluminosilicate minerals via a modified nanoscale depolymerization-reorganization approach. The physicochemical and catalytic properties of the synthesized zeolite beta were systematically characterized and assessed, respectively. The results indicate that the resulting zeolite beta possesses more moderate Brönsted acid sites compared with the reference one, and thus exhibits higher catalytic activity in the esterification of acetic acid with ethanol. This methodology demonstrates great perspective for the low-cost and environmentally-benign synthesis of zeolite beta that avoids the use of aluminum- and silicon-containing inorganic chemicals, eliminates the interference of impurities, and reduces the usage of the organic template.