SYNTHESIS AND MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF SILICEOUS MCM41 FROM COAL FLY ASH SOURCE AND PURE SILICA SOURCE

H. Misran', S. Ramesh & R. A. Kamarudin

Abstract

SYNTHESIS AND MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF SILICEOUS MCM41 FROM COAL FLY ASH SOURCE AND PURE SILICA SOURCE

1. Misran', S. Ramesh & R. A. Kamarudin

College of Engineering, University Tenaga Nasional, (UNITEN), Km 7, Allan Kajang-Puchong, 43000 Kajang, Selangor Malaysia.

Siliceous mesoporous materials MCM-41 with pores of ordered 2-dimensional hexagonal structure were successfully prepared from condensation- polymerization of quaternary ammonium salt as structure directing agent and supernatant of the coal fly ash (CFA) from Kapar power plant as silica precursor. The materials had high surface area of 732 m²/g and median pore diameter of 2.5 nm. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that fusion processes are important in extracting silica from quartz. X-ray diffraction analyses and SEM images of fused CFA revealed two different morphologies of agglomerated spheres of fused CFA and distorted octahedral grains of faujasite in comparison to the cenospheres morphology of the as-received fly ash.

*Corresponding author : Tel. +6 (03) 89212231 ; Fax. +6(03) 89263506 E-mail: Halina@uniten.edu.my