Phenol and ammonium removal by using Fe-ZSM-5 synthesized by ammonium citrate iron source

Fe-ZSM-5 zeolites are important for many applications, especially for catalysis and volatile organic carbon removal. However, the inclusion of a high content of iron in the ZSM-5 structure is hindered due to the high pH required for hydrothermal synthesis. To overcome this problem, the synthesis of Fe-ZSM-5 zeolites with a novel iron chelate complex as the iron source (ammonium iron citrate) and a common iron source (iron chloride) was investigated. The synthesized materials were characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, FTIR, XPS and ICP. The total iron content was determined by ICP. Fe-ZSM-5 zeolites prepared by the ammonium iron citrate source method contain the highest iron concentration within the framework of a Mobil five structure, which has a high surface area and crystallinity. The prepared materials were used to remove phenol and ammonium. The catalytic results demonstrated that Fe-ZSM-5 prepared with ammonium iron citrate is the best catalyst.