A CRYSTALLINE ZEOLITE AND A PROCESS FOR ITS PREPARATION

Abstract: A synthetic crystalline zeolite is provided characterized by having a composition, in terms of mole ratios of oxides, in the range: 0.1 to 0.02 R₂O:0.90 to 0.98 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:5 to 20 SiO₂:0 to 8 H₂O wherein R represents a bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimethylammo­ nium group, and characterized by having atoms arranged in a structure as indicated by a specified x-ray powder diffrac­ tion pattern. The zeolite may be prepared by crystallization from an aged reaction mixture of an oxide of sodium, a bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium salt, water, a source of silica, a source of alumina, and sodium aluminosili­ cate nucleating seeds in specified relative amounts.

Description: This invention relates to a novel crystalline zeolite designated herein as ECR-1 and a process for its preparation. In particular, the zeolite has a SiO₂ to Al₂O₃ ratio of from 5:1 to 20:1 and preferably contains a bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)- or a bis-(2-hydroxypropyl)-dimethylammonium cation. The use of quaternary ammonium salts as templates or reaction modifiers in the preparation of synthetic crystalline zeolites, first discovered by R. M. Barrer in 1961, has led to preparation of zeolites with high silica to alumina ratios which are not found in nature. Reviews by Barrer ("Hydrothermal Chemistry of Zeolites", Academic Press, 1982) and Lok et al (Zeolites, vol. 3 (1983), p. 282) show the large number of zeolites that can be made in various organic template systems. A number of those zeolites may also be made without the templates. Although some zeolites are characterized as being made in the presence of but a single template, that same template may be used in the crystallization of a variety of zeolites. The type zeolite which is produced is, in addition, a function of the reaction mixture composition, reaction and nucleation conditions and other variables that influence these metastable crystallization systems. This invention is a novel zeolite which, for purposes of convenience, shall be designated herein as ECR-1. The chemical composition of ECR-1 may be stoichiometrically expressed in terms of mole ratios of oxides as follows: 0.5 to 0.02 R₂O:0.90 to 0.98 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:5 to 20 SiO₂· x H₂O where R is a tetraalkyl ammonium cation of the type (CH₃) ₂R¹₂N where R¹ is hydroxyalkyl, preferably a bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)- or bis-(2-hydroxypropyl)-dimethylammonium or similar cation and x is a number from 0 to 8. The zeolite herein is also characterized by having a structure indicated by an x-ray powder diffraction pattern having the main peaks given in Table I below. Furthermore, the fact that the material traps molecules at the dimethyl- or diethylammonium species indicates that cages or channels larger than sodalite or gmelinite cages are present therein. The zeolite ECR-1 may be used as a sorbent or as a catalyst, e g., as a hydrocarbon conversion catalyst for, e.g., paraffin isomerization, aromatization, and alkylation or the hydrocracking of lube stocks and fuels. The invention also deals with a method for preparing ECR-1 by the steps of: (a) preparing a reaction mixture comprising an oxide of sodium, an organic ammonium salt, e.g. a tetralkyl ammonium salt, water, a source of silica, a source of alumina and sodium aluminosilicate nucleating seeds, said reaction mixture having a composition, in terms of mole ratios of oxides, within the following ranges: where R represents a tetraalkyl ammonium cation of the type (CH₃)₂R 1 / 2N where R¹ is a hydroxyalkyl group; especially where R is a bis-(2-hydroxypropyl)- or a bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium or like group. Seeds may be present in an amount sufficient to yield 0.1 to 20.0 mole percent of the total final alumina content in the zeolite synthesis slurry; (b) blending the reaction mixture sufficiently to form a substantially homogeneous mixture; (c) maintaining the reaction mixture at between about 120 and 200 o C under autogenous pressure for a sufficient period of time to form crystals of the zeolite ECR-1 having the composition first described above; and (d) recovering the zeolite crystals. It will be understood that the compositions may contain some waters of hydration (the x value above) which may be at least partially removed when the zeolites are employed as sorbents or catalysts. In addition, the cations in the zeolite as originally synthesized may be subsequently exchanged with elements from Groups I to VIII of the Periodic Table. The zeolite of this invention is characterized by the x-ray powder diffraction pattern given in Table I. The tentative indexing is orthorhombic (a = 26.3 Å, b = 18.3 Å and c = 7.3 Å, and may be orthorhombic in other exchanged forms. The morphology of ECR-1 is characteristically long laths or needles with an aspect ratio of about 10 when using the disclosed preparations. Major Lines in the X-ray Diffraction Pattern of ECR-1 dÅ Intensity 14.8 ± .2 weak 10.6 ± .2 medium 9.1 ± .2 strong 7.8 ± .2 medium 5.8 ± .2 medium-strong 4.22 ± .1 medium 3.72 ± .1 medium 3.67 ± .1 strong 3.57 ± .1 medium 3.48 ± .1 strong 3.16 ± .1 v. strong 3.06 ± .1 medium 3.00 ± .1 medium-strong Minor variations in the mole ratios of the oxides within the ranges given in the chemical composition for ECR-1 do not substantially alter the structure or properties of the zeolite. In addition, the number of waters of hydration x in the formula will not be the same for each preparation and will depend on the type of exchangeable cation employed and on the degree to which the zeolite is dried. The exchangeable cations which may partially or fully replace the cations found in the assynthesized zeolite ECR-1 in a subsequent ion exchange method may be cations of metals from any one of Groups I to VIII of the Periodic Table or rare earth metals, depending on the end use desired. Preferably, the cations will be mono-, di-and trivalent metal cations, particularly from Groups I, II or III of the Periodic Table such as barium, calcium, cesium, lithium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, strontium, zinc, and the like, or hydrogen or ammonium or alkylammonium ions, or rare earth metals. The presence of these exchangeable cations will generally not cause a substantial alteration of the basic crystal structure of the zeolite. Particularly preferred are mono- and divalent cations, as they are more easily included in the pores of the zeolite crystal. Any ion exchange technique may be employed such as those discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,789. A particularly preferred zeolite herein has a composition in terms of mole ratios of oxides in the range: 0.05 to 0.02 R₂O:0.95 to 0.98 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:5 to 10 SiO₂ A zeolite ECR-1 may be prepared by a process in which a reaction mixture, generally a slurry, is formed comprising an oxide of sodium, water, a tetraalkylammonium salt as discussed above, a source of silica, a source of alumina and sodium zeolite (aluminosilicate) nucleating seeds. The oxide of sodium may be, e.g., sodium hydroxide, and the tetraalkylammonium salt may be a sulfate, nitrate, phosphate or halide salt, and is preferably a halide such as the chloride, iodide or bromide salt or a hydroxide. The silica is derived from preferably sodium silicate. The alumina may be derived from sources such as, e.g., alumina trihydrate, sodium aluminate, alum, kaolin, metakaolin or the like. It is noted that the sodium oxide may be provided not only directly by adding, e.g., sodium hydroxide to the mixture, but also indirectly from the source of silica and/or the source of alumina if, for example, sodium silicate and sodium aluminate (prepared by dissolving NaOH and Al₂O₃·3H₂O in water) are respectively employed as at least one of the silica and alumina sources. The preferred source of alumina is an aluminum salt selected from the chloride, sulfate and nitrate salts. The aluminosilicate nucleating seeds which are also required in the reaction mixture, also known as zeolite nucleation centers, consist of a slurry of zeolite solids having the following components: SiO₂, Al₂O₃, Na₂O and H₂O. Generally, the seeds should have an average particle size less than about 0.1 microns. The composition of the nucleating seeds in the slurry may be in the approximate ranges, in terms of mole ratios of oxides, as follows: 4 to 30 Na₂O:1 to 9 Al₂O₃:3 to 30 SiO₂:250 to 2000 H₂O Such slurries of nucleating seeds may be prepared by the process disclosed in U. S. Pat. Nos. US-A-3,433,589; 3,808,326; and 4,178,352. In general, the preparation procedure involves mixing appropriate amounts of sodium silicate, sodium aluminate and water together and aging the resulting slurry at about 0 o to 90 o C for about 1 to 500 hours, with lower temperatures requiring a longer period of time. Preferably, the slurry is aged at ambient temperatures for about 20 to 400 hours and the zeolitic centers have compositions in the range: 10 to 16 Na₂O:1 to 9 Al₂O₃:10 to 15 SiO₂:250 to 2000 H₂O The amount of nucleating seeds which should be present in the reaction mixture is expressed in terms of the percentage of the total molar alumina content in the zeolite slurry. Thus, for example, if 5 molar percent of the nucleating seeds is added to the mixture, the seeds are contributing 5% of the total molar amount of alumina in the zeolite slurry. In general, the seeds are present in an amount to yield 0.1 to 20 mole percent of the total alumina content of the slurry, preferably 0.1 to 20 mole percent, and more preferably 2 to 6 mole percent. As an additional requirement, the relative amounts of ingredients in the reaction mixture will be such that the mixture will have a composition, in terms of mole ratios of oxides, within the following ranges: where R represents a tetraalkylammonium group as defined above. In one preferred method of preparation a sodium silicate solution, a slurry of nucleating seeds and a bis-(2hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium halide solution are added to a blender, followed by slow addition, with mixing, of a sodium aluminate solution and an alum solution. Then additional water is added to the resulting slurry. The reaction mixture is ordinarily prepared in a container made of glass, metal, teflon or the like which should be closed to prevent water loss. After the reaction mixture is formed it is homogenized by thorough blending so as to be substantially homogeneous in texture. This step is to help ensure that the zeolite product ultimately obtained is not a mixture of products. The mixing may take place in any vessel in which complete mixing can be effected. The homogenized mixture is then placed in a reactor, ordinarily one which can withstand elevated pressures such as an autoclave or other pressure reactor, where it is maintained at a temperature of between about 120 and 200 o C, preferably 150 o and 180 o C, and, for commercial purposes, preferably no greater than 200 o C. The exact temperature will depend, for example, on the amount of sodium oxide present and the length of time employed for reaction. At temperatures much above about 200 o C the zeolites obtained are not commercially acceptable due to major crystallization of impurities. Below 100 o C, faujasite is formed as a major product. The homogenized mixture is heated and maintained at autogenous pressures which will depend on the temperature employed. Lower pressures of 5 atm may be adequate for temperatures at the lower range but at higher temperatures up to 200 o C, pressures of up to about 25 atm or higher may be achieved. The amount of time required for heating will depend mainly on the temperature employed, so that at 120 o C the heating may be carried out, e.g., for more than 12 days, whereas at, e.g., 160 o C or more the time period may be, e.g., 4 to 12 days. In any event the heating is carried out until crystals are formed of the zeolite product, i.e., ECR-1, having the following range of composition: 0.1 to 0.02 R₂O:0.90 to 0.98 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:5 to 20 SiO₂:xH₂O where R and x are as defined above. The product zeolite ECR-1 is also characterized by having an x-ray powder diffraction pattern which is essentially the same as that shown in Table I above. The crystallization time may be shortened, if desired, by seeding the slurry before or after the blending step with minor amounts of zeolite ECR-1 crystals of this invention, which are preferably crushed or chopped at temperatures of about 77 o K under liquid nitrogen for about 1 to 10 minutes before seeding to render them microcrystalline, e.g., less than about 0.1 microns (µm). The product zeolite crystals may be recovered by filtration from the reaction mixture. Typically they are washed, preferably with distilled water, to separate them from the mother liquor. The washing should continue, for best purity results, until the wash water, equilibrated with the product, has a pH of between about 9 and 12. After the washing step the zeolite crystals may be dried or calcined if removal of the trapped organic template is desired. Characteristically, the trapped dimethyldiethyl ammonium cation decomposes and evolves from ECR-1 at a temperature of between about 440 o and 500 o C. Decomposition and evolution of the same cation trapped in mazzite takes place between about 320 o and 360 o C. Tetraethylammonium (TMA) cations are decomposed and evolved from TMA-Z K4 at temperatures over 550 o C. The zeolite ECR-1 of this invention may be used as a sorbent or as a catalyst. To be employed for these applications, the zeolite may be at least partially dehydrated by drying at temperatures of up to about 500 o C or more until most or all of the water of hydration is removed along with the trapped organic cations. The examples which follow illustrate the efficacy of the invention. In all examples, parts and percentages are given by weight and temperatures in degrees Centigrade unless otherwise noted. EXAMPLE 1 A slurry having a composition, in terms of mole ratios of oxides, of R₂O:Al₂O₃ 0.6 Na₂O:Al₂O₃ 1.94 SiO₂:Al₂O₃ 7.48 H₂O:Al₂O₃ 109 wherein R is a bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium cation was prepared as follows: A sodium aluminate solution was produced by dissolving 8.23g (0.206 mole) of NaOH and 14.6g (0.0936 mole) of Al₂O₃· 3H₂O in 20 ml of water. An alum solution was made by dissolving 34.7g (0.0535 mole) of Al₂(SO₄)₃· 17 H₂O in 50 ml of water. To a blender was added 229g of a sodium silicate solution (composed of 8.9% Na₂O, 28.7% SiO₂ and 62.4% H₂O), 8.0g of a slurry of zeolitic nucleation seeds having a composition, in terms of mole ratios of oxides, as follows: 13.33 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:12.5 SiO₂:267 H₂O aged at 25 o C for at least one day but not longer than two weeks as described in U. S. Pat. No. US-A-4,178,352, and a solution of 25g (0.147 mole) of bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-dimethylammonium chloride dissolved in 25 ml of water. The sodium aluminate and alum solutions described above were then slowly added to the blender with mixing. Sufficient water was added to bring the total weight of the slurry to 440g. After thorough homogenization of the mixture it was transferred to a polytetrafluoroethylene-lined pressure reactor, sealed, and placed in a 160 o C oven for eight days. The white solid product obtained was recovered by filtration, washed with water, and dried in a 110 o C oven. The dried zeolite appeared to be sheaves or laths about 10 to 20 microns (µm) long and about 1 micron (µm) in diameter and had an estimated chemical composition of: 0.04 R₂O:0.96 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:6.7 SiO₂ where R is a bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium cation. The crystals were found to have the x-ray powder diffraction pattern given in Table II and contained minor amounts of analcite. X-Ray Diffraction Pattern Characteristic of ECR-1 2ϑ dÅ I/Io 2ϑ dÅ I/Io 6.01 14.69 5 29.15 3.06 11 8.33 10.60 5 29.74 3.00 23 9.76 9.05 25 34.42 2.603 5 11.30 7.82 20 35.12 2.553 3 13.12 6.74 11 36.31 2.472 9 13.51 6.55 3 40.30 2.236 11 15.08 5.81 8 15.53 5.70 100 16.77 5.28 3 17.63 5.03 6 17.78 4.98 6 18.77 4.73 6 21.02 4.22 24 21.27 4.17 8 23.3 3.81 8 23.82 3.73 17 24.16 3.68 25 24.87 3.58 20 25.49 3.48 45 26.71 3.33 44 28.19 3.16 110 EXAMPLE 2 A slurry having a composition, in terms of mole ratios of oxides, of: R₂O:Al₂O₃ 0.6 Na₂O:Al₂O₃ 3.1 SiO₂:Al₂O₃ 9.2 H₂O:Al₂O₃ 130 wherein R is a bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium cation was prepared as follows: A sodium aluminate solution was produced by dissolving 5.1 g (0.13 mole) of NaOH and 6.6 g (0.042 mole) of Al₂O₃· H₂O in 12 ml of water at about 100 o C. An alum solution was made by dissolving 11.14 g (0.0172 mole) of Al₂O₃· 17 H₂O in 15 ml of water. To a blender was added 114.5g of a sodium silicate solution (composed of 8.9% Na₂O, 28.7% SiO₂ and 62.4% H₂O), 4.0g of the slurry of zeolitic nucleation seeds described in Example 1, and 37.7 g of a 50% aqueous solution containing 0.72 mole bis-(2 hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium iodide. The sodium aluminate and alum solutions described above were then slowly added to the blender with mixing. Sufficient water was added to the blender to bring the total weight of the slurry to 216 g. Then a 200 mg sample of the zeolite ECR-1 obtained from Example 1 which was previously cryochopped (chopped at a temperature of about -196 o C) for 5 mins. under liquid nitrogen was added to the blender to seed the reaction. After thorough homogenization of the mixture it was transferred to a polytetrafluoroethylene-lined pressure reactor, sealed, and placed in a 160 o C oven for twelve days. The white solid product obtained was recovered by filtration, washed with water, and dried in a 110 o C oven. The ECR-1 product obtained had an SiO₂:Al₂O₃ ratio of 6.54 as measured by microprobe chemical analysis. The x-ray powder diffraction pattern for this product is similar to that given in Table II and shows the product to contain a minor amount of analcite contaminant. EXAMPLE 3 A slurry having the composition, in terms of mole ratios of oxides, of R₂I₂:Al₂O₃ 1.2 Na₂O:Al₂O₃ 1.95 SiO₂:Al₂O₃ 7.5 H₂O:Al₂O₃ 120 wherein R is a bis(2-hydroxypropyl)dimethyl ammonium cation was prepared as follows: A sodium aluminate solution was made by dissolving 14.5g (98.3%, .356 mole) of NaOH and 16.2g (.104 mole) of Al₂O₃·3H₂O in 30 mls H₂O. To a blender was added 115.2g (Ludox HS-40) of a 40% colloidal silica solution, 146.8g (.253 mole) of a 50% solution of bis(2-hydroxypropyl)dimethylammonium iodide, 13.7 g of a slurry of zeolitic nucleation seeds as above the sodium aluminate solution as made above, and 37 mls of H₂O. After thoroughly homogenizing, the reaction slurry was transferred to four 75 ml stainless steel reaction cylinders, sealed, and placed in 150 o C oven for eight days. The solid product was filtered, washed with distilled water, and dried in 110 o C oven. The dried zeolite obtained was comprised of sheaves of laths about 10 to 20 microns(µm) long, had the characteristic x-ray powder diffraction pattern for ECR-1 given in Table 3 together with a minor amount of analcite. The SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio by microprobe analysis was 6.88. X-Ray Diffraction Pattern for Bis(2-hydroxypropyl) Dimethyl Ammonium ECR-1 2ϑ DÅ I/Io 5.9 14.88 9 8.3 10.63 15 9.7 9.10 48 11.2 7.86 29 13.06 6.77 40 13.4 6.56 9 14.0 6.31 7 15.0 5.90 20 16.67 5.31 5 17.73 4.99 10 18.73 4.73 10 19.97 4.44 11 20.40 4.34 4 21.02 4.22 23 21.62 4.10 3 22.92 3.87 5 23.25 3.82 18 23.44 3.79 15 23.86 3.72 16 24.16 3.67 36 24.86 3.57 23 25.43 3.49 100 27.42 3.24 53 28.12 3.16 84 29.08 3.06 16 29.61 3.01 16 29.63 3.01 13 34.44 2.60 7 34.68 2.58 6 36.00 2.49 7 36.16 2.48 4 36.94 2.43 6 38.12 2.35 3 39.41 2.28 3

Claims: A synthetic crystalline zeolite (ECR-1) having a composition, in terms of mol ratios of oxides, in the range: 0.02 to 0.50 R₂O:0.90 to 0.98 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:5 to 20 SiO₂: x H₂O wherein R is a tetraalkyl ammonium cation of the type (CH₃)₂R¹₂N, wherein R¹ is hydroxyalkyl, and x is a number in the range of from 0 to 8, and characterised by an X-ray powder diffraction pattern which is essentially identical to that given in Table I, as follows: A zeolite according to claim 1 wherein R is partially or fully exchanged with an exchangeable cation selected from Group I to Group VIII of the Periodic Table. A zeolite according to claim 1 or claim 2 having a composition in the range: 0.02 to 0.05 R₂O:0.95 to 0.98 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:6 to 10 SiO₂ A zeolite according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein R is bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimethyl ammonium. A zeolite according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein R is bis-(2-hydroxypropyl) dimethyl ammonium. A process for preparing a crystalline zeolite comprising: (a) preparing a reaction mixture comprising an oxide of sodium, a tetraalkyl ammonium salt, water, a source of silica, a source of alumina and sodium aluminosilicate nucleating seeds, said reaction mixture having a composition, in terms of mol ratios of oxides, within the following ranges: where R is a tetralkyl ammonium cation of the type (CH₃)₂R 1 / 2N wherein R¹ is hydroxyalkyl, and said seeds preferably being present in an amount to yield 0.1 to 20 mol percent of the total alumina content of the reaction mixture; (b) blending the reaction mixture sufficiently to form a substantially homogeneous mixture; (c) maintaining the reaction mixture at between about 120 and 200 o C under autogenous pressure for a sufficient period of time to form crystals of a zeolite having a composition as defined in any one of claims 1 to 5; and (d) recovering said zeolite crystals. A process for preparing a crystalline zeolite comprising: (a) preparing a reaction mixture comprising sodium aluminate, alum, water, sodium silicate, aluminum sulfate, bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium halide, and nucleating seeds of the composition: 13.33 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:12.5 SiO₂:267 H₂O said reaction mixture having a composition, in terms of mol ratios of oxides, within the following ranges: where R represents a bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium group, and said seeds being present in an amount to yield 2 to 6 mol percent of the total final alumina content of the reaction mixture; (b) blending the reaction mixture sufficiently to form a substantially homogeneous mixture; (c) maintaining the reaction mixture at between 140 and 200 o C under autogenous pressure for a sufficient period of time to form crystals of a zeolite having a composition, in terms of mol ratios of oxides, in the range: 0.5 to 0.02 R₂O:0.95 to 0.98 Na₂O:Al₂O₃:6 to 10 SiO₂ where R is as defined in claim 1, and having atoms arranged such that the X-ray powder diffraction pattern of said zeolite is essentially identical to that given in Table I of claim 1; and (d) recovering said zeolite crystals. A process according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the source of silica is sodium silicate and the sources of alumina are hydrated alumina and an aluminum salt selected from chloride, sulfate and nitrate salts.

Inventors: STROHMAIER, KARL GOTTLIEB, VAUGHAN, DAVID EVAN WILLIAM
Applicants: EXXON RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY
Application year: 1986
Main classification: C01B33
IPC codes: B01J29, C01B39