Synthesis and process modeling of mesoporous γ-Al2O3 granules using the biopolymer chitosan via experimental design

In this study, biopolymer chitosan is presented as a template for synthesizing and shaping the mesoporous gamma-Al2O3 macrospheres. This porous gamma-Al2O3 granule has a high surface area (310 m(2)/g), high pore volume (.6148 cm(3)/g), and pore diameter between 2 and 10 nm. The full factorial design based on a mathematical model was implemented to study the acid concentration, chitosan amount, ammonia concentration, and aging time affecting the responses (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and pore volume). Predicted responses were found to be in satisfactory agreement with experimental values (R-2 = .9580 and .9109, respectively). The adequacy of the model was examined by analyzing the residual distribution plots and Pareto graph. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis, and N-2 adsorption/desorption techniques are employed to characterize the structure of the prepared gamma-alumina sample.

Automated summary

In this study, biopolymer chitosan is used as a template to synthesize and shape mesoporous gamma-Al2O3 macrospheres. The resulting porous granules exhibit a high surface area, pore volume, and pore diameter. A full factorial design based on a mathematical model is employed to investigate the effects of acid concentration, chitosan amount, ammonia concentration, and aging time on the responses. The model shows a satisfactory agreement with experimental values, and various characterization techniques are used to analyze the structure of the prepared gamma-alumina sample.