The topic “Transformation of Zeolite Material from Natural Clay Minerals in Vietnam” by the research group of Hanoi University of Science and Technology has made a breakthrough with six initial applications, opening up new avenues for economic development and environmental restoration.
Zeolite is a lightweight, porous, microporous material with a high ion exchange capacity and remarkable adsorption ability. Although zeolite has existed globally since the 1960s, it has primarily been synthesized from pure chemicals. As a result, despite its good quality, its cost is very high, making it difficult to apply widely. Meanwhile, Vietnam has been entirely importing this material, especially for the petrochemical refining industry, and the advantage of abundant local clay resources has yet to be exploited.
6 Applications of Zeolite Material Transformed from Clay Minerals To produce just one gram of this “multifunctional” material, Dr. Ta Ngoc Don and his team had to research several tons of clay over a span of 10 years. Ultimately, the research project transforming Vietnamese kaolin clay into zeolite for aquaculture has been successful. |
The happiest beneficiaries are probably the farmers. The emergence of zeolite with multiple applications has opened a pathway for the aquaculture sector, agriculture, and many other fields.
Training Through Research
Dr. Ta Ngoc Don always believes that research should focus on training, especially with the zeolite project. If successful, zeolite will provide practical and long-term benefits for life. Therefore, since 1998, under the leadership of Dr. Ta Ngoc Don, hundreds of officials and students have directly participated in the project to synthesize zeolite from natural clay minerals.
Students primarily learn in laboratories. The theoretical foundation of the research includes four inventions, useful solutions, and 69 scientific articles published domestically and internationally over the past years. In the early stages, there was no official curriculum or the necessary conditions for a course. Both teachers and students had to explore and research step by step. Once the research project was successful, the participants realized the immediate need to focus on training the next generation, as this research direction holds significant promise and is essential for the country’s development.
Under the guidance of their professors, two groups of students conducted scientific research that won the first prize at the Ministry level in 2002-2003, the first prize from VIFOTEC for students, a gold medal, and the WIPO award in 2003 for this project. From here, the brand ZEOLLT Bách Khoa – the zeolite school derived from clay has become more widely recognized.
The faculty and students of the Chemistry Department at Hanoi University of Science and Technology continue to diligently seek new applications for zeolite derived from clay. Dr. Ta Ngoc Don is nurturing the idea of synthesizing larger mesoporous materials beyond zeolite and developing Nano-Zeolite materials.
