Cost-effective zeolite synthesis from waste glass cullet using energy efficient microwave radiation

A rapid zeolite synthesis procedure was investigated using pulverized waste glass cullet via microwave radiation and compared with zeolites synthesized using convection heating. It was observed that constant temperature microwave synthesis method made zeolites more efficiently under superheating conditions with a maximum relative crystallinity of 60%. The maximum relative crystallinity of the synthesized zeolites was found to be similar when convection heating and constant temperature controlled microwave synthesis was used; however, the latter technique offerred a factor of 140 reduction in synthesis time. This rapid synthesis process is attractive to the industrial application due to its high-energy efficiency.