Organotemplate-Free Synthesis of a High-Silica Zeolite with a TON Structure in the Absence of Zeolite Seeds

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/ejic.201501223

A high-silica zeolite with a TON structure designated as ZJM-4 was successfully synthesized in the absence of any organic templates and zeolite seeds. Many factors such as the SiO₂/K₂O ratio, Si/Al ratio, SiO₂/H₂O in the starting aluminosilicate gels, crystallization temperature, and crystallization time strongly influence the formation of the ZJM-4 zeolite. Interestingly, this synthesis shows very efficient silica utilization in the starting gels (>80 %). Catalytic tests on the isomerization of m-xylene to p-xylene show that the ZJM-4 catalyst has high selectivity to p-xylene (ca. 80 %), which could be potentially important for industrial applications for the ZJM-4 zeolite as a candidate catalyst in the future.