Effect of Microstructure of Consolidated Zeolite on
Its Characteristic of Humidity Conditioning
Masato MATSUDA , Takeshi SHIONO and Yasunori OKAMOTO
Abstract:Zeolite A exhibits superior moisture-absorption characteristic because zeolite A has a high hydrophilicity and a lot of micropores in its crystal structure. So zeolite A is recognized to be one of excellent humidity conditioning materials. In conventional production method, however, zeolite A is produced as powders with a diameter of a few micrometers. In the present study, the bulky consolidated zeolite A was synthesized with sodium silicate solution, metakaolin, sodium aluminates, and sodium hydroxide at heat-treatment temperatures from 40 to 100. Characteristics of humidity conditioning were estimated. The consolidated monolithic zeolite A could be synthesized at a temperature of 50. The consolidated zeolite exhibited poor moisture-desorption characteristics, compared with excellent moisture-absorption characteristics. In order to improve the moisture-desorption characteristics, furthermore, the microstructure of consolidated zeolite A was controlled by foam formation technique due to the reaction between Al and sodium silicate solution. In consequence of the porous treating, the obtained porous zeolite A with pores diameter from 5 to 110 micrometer improved its moisture-desorption characteristics and had good humidity response. Key Words:Zeolite, Humidity conditioning, Foam formation, Microstructure, Geopolymer