EP3740453A1

EP3740453A1 - Process for the continuous preparation of zeolites using ultrasound

Info

Publication number: EP3740453A1
Application number: EP19700291.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Heidy RAMIREZ-MENDOZA; Serge Nicolas; Cécile LUTZ; Jean-Luc Dubois; Jeroen JORDENS; Tom VAN GERVEN
Original assignee: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven; Arkema France SA
Current assignee: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven; Arkema France SA
Priority date: 2018-01-15
Filing date: 2019-01-11
Publication date: 2020-11-25
Also published as: FR3076828A1; CN112088143A; US11292724B2; US20200385277A1; WO2019138069A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an intensified continuous process for synthesizing zeolite crystals, said process comprising a continuous supply of a continuously prepared gel, said gel then being continuously crystallized, said process comprising at least one application of ultrasound.

Description

PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF ZEOLITHES

CONTINUOUSLY USING ULTRASOUND

The present invention relates to an intensified process for the continuous preparation of zeolite crystals of high crystallinity, controlled size and with a low level of aggregation.

The term "intensified process" means that the process used is:

an accelerated process compared to the prior art (faster crystallization) and / or

- A method for reducing or possibly eliminating a grinding step subsequent to the recovery of the solid (usually grinding on the dried powder).

The synthesis of zeolite crystals (or more simply "zeolite synthesis" in the remainder of this disclosure) is conventionally carried out in the industry in stirred batch reactor, of large size, generally with heating of the gel. of synthesis and / or of the reaction medium by steam injection and / or double jacket. The preparation of the synthesis gel consists in mixing a solution of sodium aluminate with a sodium silicate solution, this mixture can be carried out either in a plant upstream of the crystallization reactor or directly in the crystallization reactor.

[0004] In order to improve the conventional zeolite crystallization process in batch, studies have been published on the development of continuous synthesis processes. This work aims to overcome or at least reduce the disadvantages associated with batch processes and in particular to reduce the size of the facilities needed for synthesis, to reduce the energy expenditure accordingly and to improve the regularity of the quality of production.

Continuous synthesis processes are still little known today, and little used on an industrial level. However, some works describe so-called "continuous" processes for syntheses of zeolites, which can be classified into three categories:

1) the synthesis medium is first prepared in a batch reactor in a conventional manner and then this gel reservoir continuously feeds a crystallization reactor; in this case, it is called a "semi-continuous" process since part of the process is carried out in a batch reactor (see, for example, Jingxi Ju et al., "Continuous synthesis of zeolite NaA in a microchannel reactor", Chemical Engineering Journal, 1 16, (2006), 115-121, Shumovskii et al., "Continuous process for the production of zeolite in pulsation apparatus," Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, 31 (5-6), (1995), 253-256; Zhendong Liu et al., "Ultrafast Continuous-flow synthesis of crystalline microporous AIP04-5", Chem. Mater., 2-7, (2014); US 4848509 or US 6773694);

2) the synthesis medium is continuously prepared using a shear mixer and is then crystallized batch reactor in a conventional manner (see for example the documents EP0149929 and BE 869156);

3) the synthesis medium is continuously prepared and feeds a reactor continuously to achieve crystallization.

The first two categories are therefore not strictly speaking "continuous" processes since at least part of the synthesis is performed in batch.

Among the work of the third category, it appears that the conditions of continuous synthesis are not always described very accurately, so that it is difficult, if not impossible to reproduce. In particular, the precise conditions of the process do not make it possible to know precisely what are the necessary parameters to be applied to reduce the crystallization time, or to accelerate the crystallization, to make the crystallization more rapid, to avoid as much as possible the formation of aggregates, while avoiding the formation of impurities, especially unwanted crystalline phases.

Moreover, it is already known to use ultrasound to assist the synthesis of zeolite, to promote the formation of "nuclei" (germs) that serve as primers for the growth of the solid. Ultrasound is in particular used for the so-called phase of low temperature ripening ("aging" in English) prior to crystallization, which is carried out at a higher temperature.

The literature available on the subject however relates only to batch processes and the ultrasound is applied only cold (maximum temperature at 50 ° C - 70 ° C), mainly on the mixture of reagents (synthetic gel) during the ripening phase. The application of higher temperature ultrasound for intensified continuous zeolite preparation processes, ie where the nucleation rate must be as high as possible, is however neither described nor suggested in the prior art.

CN 103848436 describes a conventional synthesis of zeolite A, in batch, with a long curing time, greater than 20 hours, at 35-45 ° C and crystallization between 80 and 120 ° C and 20-50 sonication Hz for 10 to 30 minutes. The necessary ripening time in this synthesis makes this process incompatible with the economic requirements of an industrial process. The application of ultrasound is presented in a possible washing step

The CN105271298 document describes a method of upgrading coal gangue, composed of alumina and silica, which crystallizes a zeolite type LTA. In this method, a first heat treatment is required to "activate" the gangue which is then mixed with water under ultrasonic irradiation. Then the reaction medium is subjected to a ripening step, and the crystallization is carried out by heating the reaction medium. This method does not, however, correspond to an intensified process, within the meaning of the present invention, in particular because the ultrasonic irradiation step is carried out for the preparation of the activated gangue in an aqueous medium.

The work of Askari et al. summarize the effect of ultrasound on the synthesis of different types of zeolites in the article "Effects of ultrasound on the synthesis of zeolites: a review", J. Porous Mater., (2013), 20, 285-302. This article refers in particular to the references cited below, with the details of the operating conditions relating to ultrasound.

[0013] The article "Effects of ultrasound on zeolite A synthesis", Andac et al., Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 79, (2005), 225-233, shows that the application of 35 kHz ultrasound by dipping the synthesis reactor, in batch, in an ultrasonic bath during the ripening phase and the crystallization phase, accelerates the zeolite synthesis.

[0014] The article "Synthesis of MCM-22 zeolite by an ultrasonic-assisted aging procedure", Wang et al., Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 15, (2008), 334-338, shows the contributions of an ultrasonic exposure during the initial maturation of the synthesis gel of type MCM-22 zeolites prepared in batch, especially in terms of reducing the duration of synthesis, reducing the content of structuring agent required in the formulation and increasing the diversity of the MCM zeolites -22 obtained.

In "Ultrasonic-Assistance and Aging Time Effects on the Zeolitation Process of BZSM-5 Zeolite", Abrishamkar et al., Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem., (2010), 636, 2686-2690, the ultrasounds applied during the pre-crystallization maturation step shorten the crystallization time of a zeolite BZSM-5 (isomorphically boron-substituted ZSM-5 zeolite) prepared in batch. Ultrasound is applied at a frequency of 40 kHz and a power of 50 W, at room temperature.

The article "Static and Ultrasonic Assisted Aging Effects on the Synthesis of Analcime Zeolite", Azizi et al., Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem., (2010), 636, 886-890, shows the advantage of ultrasonically, during the ripening phase, the zeolite analcime synthesis gel to reduce the crystallization time. The synthesis temperature is 25 ° C, and no indication regarding the ultrasonic bath is provided (frequency / power conditions). The batch synthesis time is furthermore totally incompatible with economically feasible industrial synthesis. The article "Ultrasonic pretreatment for hydrothermal synthesis of SAPO-34 nanocrystals", Askari et al., Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 19, (2012), 554-559, discloses the hydrothermal synthesis, in batch, of SAPO-nanocrystals. 34 assisted by ultrasound during the ripening phase (at a frequency of 24 kHz and at a temperature maintained at 50 ° C).

Finally, the effect of ultrasound on the batch synthesis of EMT zeolite nanocrystals is studied as a function of time in the article "Effects of ultrasonic irradiation on crystallization and structural properties of EMT-type zeolite nanocrystals", Eng-Poh Ng et al., Materials Chemistry and Physics, 159, (2015), 38-45. The synthesis temperature is 25 ° C and the ultrasound frequency applied is 47 kHz.

A similar teaching emerges from the article "Effect of ultrasound pretreatment on the hydrothermal synthesis of SSZ-13 Zeolite", Mu et al., Ultrasonics-Sonochemistry, 38, (2017), 430-436, for the synthesis in batch of zeolite SSZ-13. The ultrasonic bath is at a temperature of 35 ° C, and the frequency is set at 40 kHz.

All these so-called batch techniques are, however, quite incompatible with an intensified process, continuously, one of the main criteria is the acceleration of the crystallization speed. In order to accelerate the crystallization rate to the maximum, one possibility is to prepare the zeolite crystals at a temperature ideally above 70 ° C, preferably above 75 ° C, more preferably above 80 ° C. Under these conditions, the synthesis time is decreased and allows access to a more economical preparation process.

The objective of the increase of the crystallization temperature is to accelerate the growth kinetics of the crystals to decrease the duration of the crystallization. The disadvantage of such a crystallization, known as "hot crystallization", is that it remains difficult to conduct, and can, when it is poorly conducted, lead to a degradation of the crystallinity of the solid formed or a co-crystallization of phases. unwanted. The application of ultrasound to further improve this step remains to explore.

To further accelerate the crystallization, the ultrasound application technique remains to be explored. Indeed ultrasonics could improve the material transport speed at the solid / liquid crystallization interface by local agitation exacerbated in the reaction medium.

Furthermore, it is known that a point of vigilance in the implementation of a continuous synthesis process containing solids (as is the case in the synthesis of zeolites) is the risk of fouling. reactors, which are generally and most often tubular reactors, by the accumulation of solids which can involve a drift of the process and high maintenance costs. One can think that if the continuous processes have not particularly developed so far in the synthesis of zeolites, this is probably due in particular to the risk of fouling due to the presence of solids in the reaction medium ( either amorphous solids present from the start in the synthesis gel, or crystalline solids at the end of synthesis, after crystallization), the difficulties of reconciling crystallization time and quality of crystals formed. These difficulties can be further amplified during the synthesis of crystals larger than one hundred nanometers.

Some publications relate the application of ultrasound to simulate agitation of the reaction medium or to disintegrate clusters of materials, agglomerates of crystals and the like.

For example, it is reported in "Sonofragmentation: Effect of Ultrasonic Frequency and Power Particle Breakage", Jordens et al., Cryst. Growth Des., (2016), 16 (11), 6167-6177, the interest of fragmenting paracetamol crystals, in a liquid medium, using ultrasound under various conditions. However, it is not a question of disaggregation of crystals, but of fracture of crystals which thus loses their integrity. This sonofragmentation treatment is carried out on previously isolated crystals, and therefore separately from the step of forming said crystals (crystallization).

We can also mention the work of J. M. Kim et al. ("Acoustic influence on aggregation and agglomeration of crystals in crystallization reaction of cerium carbonate", Colloids Surf, Physicochem Eng Asp (201 1), 375, pp. 193-199), and B. Gielen et al. . ("Agglomeration Control during Ultrasonic Crystallization of an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient", Crystals, (2017), 7, 40) who are interested in the effects of sonication and ultrasound, in batch, on the state of agglomeration of crystals of organic compounds or mineral salts.

There remains therefore a need for an intensified process for the continuous preparation of highly crystalline zeolite crystals, said crystals having a controlled size and being little aggregated, said process also having a good efficiency both economically and on the market. energy plan, and especially adapted to the industrial level.

Thus, the present invention relates to an intensified continuous process for the synthesis of zeolite crystals, said process comprising a continuous feed of a gel prepared continuously, said gel being then crystallized continuously, said process comprising less an application of ultrasound. In the process of the present invention, it should be understood that the crystallization step of the gel is carried out continuously, that is to say without transient phase in batch.

It has indeed been surprisingly found that the application of ultrasound during an intensified process of continuous synthesis of zeolite crystals makes it possible to obtain crystals of very high purity and / or reduce, or optionally remove, a step of grinding subsequent to the recovery of the solid (usually grinding on the dried powder) well known to those skilled in the art.

The implementation of ultrasound thus makes it possible to achieve continuous intensification of the zeolite synthesis process, which is efficient and economically viable from an industrial point of view, that is to say on a large scale. , in order to meet the zeolite needs of an ever-growing market. Still other advantages will become apparent in the light of the description of the invention which follows.

The process of the present invention makes it possible in particular to synthesize zeolite crystals of very high purity, that is to say having a purity equal to or greater than 95%, preferably equal to or greater than 98%, and of still preferably between 98% and 100%, as determined by quantitative XRD analysis.

The process according to the present invention generally allows the synthesis of zeolite crystals of particle size (number average diameter determined by counting on SEM plates) ranging from 0.05 pm to 20 pm, preferably from 0.1 pm to 20 μm, more preferably from 0.2 μm to 10 μm, and more preferably from 0.3 μm to 8 μm, most preferably from 0.3 μm to 5 μm.

The aggregation of the crystals is evaluated by size measurement using the laser diffraction particle size analysis technique with a device of the Malvern Mastersizer 3000 type, as explained for example by Jordens et al., Ibid.

More specifically, the subject of the present invention is a process for the preparation of zeolite crystals continuously, comprising at least the following steps:

a) continuously supplying a composition capable of generating zeolite crystals;

b) continuously introducing said composition into at least one ultrasonic crystallization reaction zone, and

c) continuously recovering the crystals formed in step b).

By "composition capable of generating zeolite crystals" is meant in the sense of the present invention, any type of composition well known to those skilled in the art depending on the type of zeolite to be prepared. Such a composition typically comprises at least one source of silica and at least one source of alumina and / or any other source element (s) may constitute a zeolite framework, such as for example source of phosphorus, titanium, zirconium, and other.

Preferably, the "composition capable of generating zeolite crystals" comprises a gel prepared continuously, as mentioned above. According to a very particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention the composition capable of generating zeolite crystals consists of the continuously prepared gel defined above.

Thus, the continuously prepared gel comprises at least one source of silica and a source of alumina and / or any other source of element (s) that can constitute a zeolite framework, such as for example a source of phosphorus, titanium, zirconium, and other.

To this composition may be added optionally, but preferably, at least one aqueous solution of alkali metal hydroxide or alkaline earth metal, preferably alkali metal, typically sodium and / or organic structuring agents (" structure-directing agent "or" template "in English).

By "silica source" is meant any source well known to those skilled in the art and in particular a solution, preferably aqueous, silicate, in particular alkali or alkaline earth metal silicate, for example sodium or colloidal silica.

By "alumina source" is meant any source of alumina well known to those skilled in the art and in particular a solution, preferably aqueous, of aluminate, in particular of alkali metal or alkali metal aluminate. earthy, for example sodium.

The concentrations of the various solutions of silica and alumina are adapted according to the nature of the silica source, the source of alumina, the respective proportions of the sources of alumina and silica to which are added the solution of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxide and / or one or more organic structuring agents, according to the knowledge of those skilled in the art. In particular, information on the chemical nature of the organic structuring agents to be optionally used depending on the zeolite to be synthesized on the site of the "International Zeolite Association" (www.iza-online.org), for example and in a non exhaustive list of tetramethylammonium (TMA), tetra-n-propylammonium (TPA), methyltriethylammonium (MTEA).

The respective concentrations and proportions of the various solutions of silica and alumina are known to those skilled in the art or can be easily adapted by those skilled in the art depending on the nature of the zeolite that it is desired to prepare, from literature data. Thus, the intensification of the process results from the implementation of ultrasound, in other words the intensification of the process results from the application at one or more locations along the continuous process, frequency ultrasound and well-defined power, the power and frequency may vary from one ultrasound source to another, fulfilling one or more of the following objectives:

accelerate the rate of crystallization (reduce the duration of crystallization)

disaggregate the aggregates of crystals at the end of synthesis, when the solid is still suspended in the mother liquors (avoid or reduce the solid state grinding stage)

Ultrasound is applied at at least one point of the continuous synthesis of zeolite crystals, for example in the crystallization zone (to promote the formation of crystals) and / or in the end-of-synthesis zone (to disaggregate possible aggregates of crystals), but also in the ripening zone, etc.

Ultrasound can be applied continuously, or sequenced or alternated or a combination of these different methods.

The application of ultrasound in a liquid medium creates an acoustic cavitation. This acoustic cavitation in the liquid medium depends on a large number of sonochemical parameters (such as, for example, frequency, power, reactor geometry, and the like), and operating conditions (such as, for example, pressure, temperature, dissolved gas, and others) which directly affect the sonochemical effects obtained.

Ultrasound is generally produced by a device called transducer, in particular based on the properties of piezoelectric materials, which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. This mechanical vibration is transmitted in the reaction medium in the form of an acoustic wave. Piezoelectric transducers use the inverse piezoelectric effect of natural or synthetic monocrystals such as quartz or ceramics such as barium titanate. These materials are easily machinable in the form of disks, plates or rings on the faces of which are fixed two metal electrodes. Thus, when an electric voltage is applied to these electrodes, the material expands or compresses depending on the orientation of the voltage relative to the polarization of the material, for example ceramic.

Other types of ultrasound emissions are possible, for example from magnetostrictive transducers based on ferromagnetic materials placed under an alternating magnetic field. In addition, since the phenomenon of cavitation can be induced by ultrasound, it can be envisaged that this phenomenon is induced by other techniques such as hydrodynamic cavitation. Combinations of two or more of these techniques may of course be carried out in the process of the present invention.

[0051] Ultrasonic Apparatus adapted for the purposes of the invention may for example be selected from devices transducer device, such as those marketed for example by Weber Ultrasonics Company-under Sonopush Duotransducer ^® HD denominations, Multi Sonoplate , Flow-Through Cell, or those marketed by the Hielscher Company, for example the UP200S, to name a few of them, without being limiting.

The frequency of ultrasound applied largely depends on the desired effect and the nature of the medium to which they are applied. This frequency is generally between 10 kHz and 5 MHz, preferably between 10 kHz and 1.5 MHz, more preferably between 15 kHz and 1 MHz, very particularly preferably between 15 kHz and 500 kHz, typically between 15 kHz and 200 kHz.

Similarly, the acoustic power of ultrasound that is dissipated in the medium largely depends on the desired effect and the nature of the medium to which the ultrasound is applied. This acoustic power is directly related to the electrical power supplied by the generator. The electric power supplied by the generator is generally between 3 W and 500 W, preferably between 5 W and 400 W, more preferably between 8 W and 300 W.

According to a preferred embodiment, and when the desired effect is the reduction of the duration of the synthesis, the ultrasounds applied are with relatively low powers, typically of powers less than 100 W. In this case, the Crystal size (number average diameter) tends to decrease as the power of the applied ultrasound increases. According to another preferred embodiment, and when the desired effect and the disintegration of crystals, the ultrasounds applied are with higher powers, typically powers greater than 100 W. In this case, the size of the agglomerates decreases with the power of applied ultrasound.

Similarly, the ultrasonic exposure time of the continuous synthesis medium can vary in large proportions depending on the desired effect, depending on the nature of the reaction medium and others. Thus, and according to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the fraction of the ultrasonic exposure time with respect to the residence time of the reaction medium in the continuous reactor is between 0.05% and 50%, preferably between 0.1% and 30%, more preferably 0.1% and 20%, more preferably between 0.1% and 10%, inclusive. As indicated above, the ultrasound can be applied continuously, sequentially or alternately, the continuous application at one or more points throughout the continuous synthesis process is however preferred. Any other combination of ultrasound applications, with variations in application time and / or frequency variations, or even variations in power are of course possible and within the abilities of those skilled in the art. Thus, the duration of ultrasonic exposure, as well as the power of ultrasound applied per unit volume of gel, have an influence on the kinetics of crystallization and on the disintegration of the zeolite crystals. Crystals tend to form more quickly when exposure time and / or applied power increases. Likewise, the disintegration of the crystals is greater when the duration of exposure and / or the power applied increases.

The process of the present invention may be conducted at any temperature that the skilled person will adapt according to the type of zeolite to be produced and the degree of intensification of the desired process. According to a preferred embodiment, the process according to the invention is carried out at a temperature of between 70 ° C. and 180 ° C., preferably between 75 ° C. and 160 ° C., more preferably between 80 ° C. and 140 ° C. .

At temperatures below 60 ° C, the process will be too slow for the purposes of an intensive industrial process, so that temperatures above 60 ° C, or even above 70 ° C, and even above 80 ° C are particularly suitable. Reaction temperatures even higher than 180 ° C could theoretically be applied, the industrial process could however in such conditions be considered uneconomic.

According to a very particularly preferred aspect of the present invention, the reaction temperature can be advantageously set between 75 ° C. and 180 ° C., preferably between 80 ° C. and 140 ° C., to obtain an optimal compromise between degree of intensification. of the process and purity of the crystals obtained.

The method of the present invention may optionally comprise one or more steps of adding seed (s) to the reaction medium.

The addition of seed in the synthesis medium makes it possible to obtain even greater crystallization kinetics to be compatible with the constraints of a continuous process. The addition (s) of seed (s) can or can be performed (s) by any means known to those skilled in the art and for example using a static mixer which has the advantage of promoting the homogenization of the synthesis medium / seed mixture. Seed (also called "seeding agent") is understood to mean a solid or a liquid which promotes the orientation of the synthesis towards the desired zeolite. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the method of the invention comprises the addition, in one or more times, before, after or during the crystallization step, of one or more seeding agents. This addition of sowing agent (s) notably makes it possible to substantially accelerate the crystallization step.

By seeding agent (or seed) is meant a solution or a suspension, in liquid form or in gel form, of a solid or a liquid which promotes the orientation of the synthesis towards the zeolite desired. The seeding agents are well known to those skilled in the art and are for example chosen from nucleating gels, zeolite crystals, mineral particles of any kind, and the like, and mixtures thereof.

In a preferred aspect, the seeding agent is a nucleation gel and more preferably, said nucleating gel comprises a homogeneous mixture of a source of silica (for example sodium silicate), a source of alumina (for example alumina trihydrate), optionally but advantageously a strong mineral base, such as, for example, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or calcium hydroxide, to mention only the main and most commonly used, and water . One or more structuring agents, typically organic structuring agents, may also optionally be introduced into the nucleation gel.

Thus, the application of ultrasound in the process of continuous preparation of zeolite crystals allows a substantial intensification of this synthesis continuously, allowing decreased synthesis times and energy consumption also decreased.

In addition, and if desired, the method of the invention may comprise a step allowing the suppression or at least the reduction of the post-grinding step by ultrasonic irradiation at the end of synthesis, where the Crystals are usually milled "dry" after filtration and drying, the drying step having the effect of making more resistant aggregates, so more difficult to dislocate. The application of ultrasound according to the process of the present invention makes possible the disintegration in a humid environment, before separation of the mother liquors, which makes it possible to reduce the overall energy balance of the process.

It has also been discovered quite surprisingly, in the continuous process of the present invention, that the application of ultrasound can also reduce or eliminate any risk of clogging of the system. . The use of ultrasound therefore further facilitates the preparation of zeolite crystals continuously, and this, industrially. Thus, the process of the present invention makes it possible to propose an industrial process which benefits from the advantages of Continuous synthesis by minimizing or even eliminating problems related to fouling of installations.

In general, the method of the present invention allows the preparation of any type of zeolites known to those skilled in the art and for example, and in a non-limiting manner, any MFI-type zeolite, and in particular silicalite, any MOR-type zeolite, OFF type, MAZ type, CHA type and HEU type type, all zeolite type FAU, and especially zeolite Y, zeolite X, zeolite MSX, zeolite LSX, any zeolite EMT type or any zeolite of the LTA type, that is to say zeolite A, as well as the other zeotypes, such as, for example, titanosilicalites.

By zeolite MSX (Medium Silica X) is meant a zeolite of FAU type having an Si / Al atomic ratio of between about 1, 05 and about 1, 15, limits included. By zeolite LSX (Low Silica X) is meant a zeolite of FAU type having an Si / Al atomic ratio equal to about 1.

The process according to the invention is particularly suitable for the preparation of zeolites chosen from MFI-type zeolites, and in particular silicalite, of the FAU type, and in particular zeolite Y, zeolite X, zeolite MSX, zeolite LSX, and type LTA, that is to say zeolite A, as well as type zeolites CHA and zeolites type HEU.

The process according to the invention is furthermore particularly suitable for the preparation of any zeolite of the FAU type, and in particular zeolite X, zeolite MSX, zeolite LSX. The MFI-type zeolites, and especially silicalite, can also be very advantageously prepared according to the process of the invention.

In addition, the continuous preparation process of the present invention is not limited to the preparation of the zeolites described above, but also includes the corresponding zeolites with hierarchical porosity. The zeolites with hierarchical porosity are solids, well known to those skilled in the art, comprising a microporous network linked to a mesopore network, and thus make it possible to reconcile the properties of accessibility to the active sites of the mesoporous zeolites known in the art. and those of maximum crystallinity and microporosity of so-called "conventional" zeolites (without mesoporosity). For the synthesis of such hierarchically porous zeolites, it is generally used specific agents called structuring agents which are introduced into the synthesis medium, for example structuring agents of the organosilane type, as for example described in the document FR1357762.

According to another aspect, the present invention relates to the use of ultrasound, during the synthesis of zeolite crystals continuously at a reaction temperature of between 70 ° C. and 180 ° C., preferably between 75 ° C. and 160 ° C, more preferably between 80 ° C and 140 ° C, said ultrasound being used at a frequency between 10 kHz and 5 MHz, preferably between 10 kHz and 1.5 MHz, more preferably between 15 kHz and 1 MHz, most preferably between 15 kHz and 500 kHz, typically between 15 kHz and 200 kHz.

The following examples illustrate the invention without however limiting the scope defined by the claims appended to the description of the present invention.

Characterization techniques

Qualitative and quantitative analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD)

The purity of the synthesized zeolite crystals is evaluated by X-ray diffraction analysis, known to those skilled in the art under the acronym DRX. This identification is carried out on a DRX device of the brand Bruker.

This analysis makes it possible to identify the various zeolites present in the adsorbent material because each of the zeolites has a single diffractogram defined by the positioning of the diffraction peaks and by their relative intensities.

The zeolite crystals are crushed then spread and smoothed on a sample holder by simple mechanical compression.

The conditions of acquisition of the diffractogram carried out on the Bruker D5000 apparatus are as follows:

• Cu tube used at 40 kV - 30 mA;

• size of the slots (divergent, diffusion and analysis) = 0.6 mm;

• filter: Ni;

• rotating sample device 15 tr.min ^1;

• measuring range: 3 ° <20 ° <50 °;

• not: 0.02 °;

• counting time in steps: 2 seconds.

The interpretation of the diffractogram obtained is carried out with the EVA software with identification of zeolites using the ICDD database PDF-2, release 2011.

The amount of crystals, by weight, is determined by XRD analysis, this method is also used to measure the amount of non-crystalline phases. This analysis is carried out on a Bruker brand apparatus, then the quantity by weight of the zeolite crystals is evaluated using the Bruker TOPAS software. The purity is expressed as mass percentage of desired crystalline phase relative to the total weight of the sample.

Crystallinity analysis The crystallinity of the zeolite crystals is estimated by conventional methods such as measurements of Dubinin volumes (adsorption of liquid nitrogen at 77 K), or toluene adsorption indices (adsorption capacities of toluene to a relative pressure of 0.5 to 25 ° C after 2 hours exposure as described in EP11 16691 A or US6464756 B).

Example 1: Continuous process without ultrasound at 80 ° C.

Sodium zeolite X crystals (NaX) are prepared from sodium aluminosilicate and sodium silicate solutions, with a step of addition of seeding agent. Thus, 100 ml of reaction medium are prepared by mixing at 80 ° C. the sodium silicate and sodium aluminosilicate solutions in a mixer with a high shear rate.

The crystallization is carried out at 80 ° C for 2 hours, by circulating the reaction medium with a flow rate of 60 mL.min ¹ to pass into a tubular reactor of 0.5 cm in diameter and 22, 5 cm in length, said reactor being equipped with a plateau transducer located outside the tube, but which remains inactive for this example.

Example 2: Continuous process with ultrasound at 80 ° C.

X-shaped zeolite crystals (NaX) are prepared from solutions of sodium aluminosilicate and sodium silicate, with a step of addition of seeding agent. As in the previous example, 100 ml of reaction medium are prepared by mixing at 80 ° C the sodium silicate and sodium aluminosilicate solutions in a high shear mixer.

The crystallization is carried out at 80 ° C for 2 hours, by circulating the reaction medium with a flow rate of 60 mL.min ¹ to pass into a tubular reactor of 0.5 cm in diameter and 22, 5 cm long which is, for the purposes of this example, exposed to ultrasound generated using the plateau transducer whose frequency is equal to 34.5 kHz. The electric power of the generator is fixed at 40 W.

The ultrasound is applied continuously only at the tubular reactor, which corresponds to a continuous circulation of the synthesis gel with ultrasonic point irradiation.

[0087] Figures 1 and 2 show that in the absence of ultrasound, the zeolite crystals to achieve a toluene adsorption (T50) of about 24% are obtained after 120 minutes (Example 1, Figure 1). ). With the application of ultrasound (Example 2, Figure 2), the zeolite crystals to achieve a toluene adsorption (T50) of about 24% are obtained from 80 minutes, which demonstrates the great interest of the use of ultrasound for the intensified process for preparing continuous zeolite crystals according to the present invention. It is therefore observed that the synthesis time can be greatly reduced (1/3 less time in Example 2) by applying ultrasound, without degradation of the adsorption properties of the zeolite obtained. This corresponds to an intensification of the process for the preparation of zeolites, continuously.

Claims

1. Intensified, continuous process for the synthesis of zeolite crystals, said process comprising a continuous supply of a gel prepared continuously, said gel being then crystallized continuously, said process comprising at least one ultrasound application.

2. Method according to claim 1, comprising at least the following steps: a) continuously supplying a composition capable of generating zeolite crystals;

c) continuously recovering the crystals formed in step b).

The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the ultrasound is applied at at least one point of the continuous synthesis of the zeolite crystals.

The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ultrasound is applied continuously, or sequentially or alternatively or a combination of these different methods.

5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the frequency of the applied ultrasound is between 10 kHz and 5 MHz, preferably between 10 kHz and 1.5 MHz, more preferably between 15 kHz and 1 MHz, very particularly preferably between 15 kHz and 500 kHz, typically between 15 kHz and 200 kHz.

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical power supplied by the ultrasound generator is between 3 W and 500 W, preferably between 5 W and 400 W, more preferably between 8 W and 300 W. W.

7. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the fraction of the ultrasonic exposure time with respect to the residence time of the reaction medium in the continuous reactor is between 0.05% and 50%, preferably between 0.1% and 30%, more preferably 0.1% and 20%, more preferably between 0.1% and 10%, inclusive.

8. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the reaction temperature is between 70 ° C. and 180 ° C., preferably between 75 ° C. and

160 ° C, more preferably between 80 ° C and 140 ° C.

9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more steps of adding seed (s) to the reaction medium.

10. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a step of ultrasonic irradiation at the end of synthesis, in a humid medium, before separation of the mother liquors.

11. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the zeolite crystals prepared are zeolite crystals chosen from MFI type zeolites, MOR type zeolites, OFF type zeolites, MAZ type zeolites, CHA type zeolites, HEU type zeolites, FAU type zeolites, EMT type zeolites, LTA type zeolites, and titanosilicalites.

12. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the zeolite crystals prepared are zeolite crystals chosen from zeolite X, zeolite MSX and zeolite LSX.

13. A process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the zeolite crystals prepared are zeolite crystals with a hierarchical porosity.

14. Use of ultrasound, during the synthesis of zeolite crystals continuously at a reaction temperature of between 70 ° C. and 180 ° C., preferably between 75 ° C. and 160 ° C., more preferably between 80 ° C. and 140 ° C, said ultrasound being used at a frequency between 10 kHz and 5 MHz, preferably between 10 kHz and 1, 5 MHz, more preferably between 15 kHz and 1 MHz, very particularly preferably between 15 kHz and 500 MHz kHz, typically between 15 kHz and 200 kHz.