A Comparative Study on the Synthesis of Type NaX Zeolite Prepared from Kaolin for Builder Application in Detergent Production

Zeolites being used as builders in detergents are synthesized from expensive chemicals with a cumbersome production process. In this study, zeolite was synthesized from cheaper and readily available kaolin for possible use in detergent production. Kaolin from two sources namely Ajebo, Ogun State and Darazo, Bauchi State, Nigeria was used as starting materials while wet beneficiation followed by acid leaching was used to purify the kaolin and hydrothermal process was used to synthesize the zeolite. The chemical analysis confirms the presence of silica and alumina which are the precursors materials for zeolite synthesis. An increase in the amounts of the desired silica and alumina for both kaolin accompanied by a reduction in the amounts of the undesired oxides present in the kaolin as impurities are clear indications that the acid leaching was successful. The zeolites synthesized from both kaolin shows better water adsorption capacity and ion exchange capacity compared to those reported for zeolite synthesized from pure chemicals, this ability makes zeolite more suitable for the production of detergent. These results are indications that zeolites synthesized from kaolin can serve as a possible replacement for the more expensive zeolite synthesized from chemicals used as builders in detergent production.