Micron- and nanosized FAU-type zeolites from fly ash for antibacterial applications

The development of procedures for the synthesis of nanosized zeolites from cheap sources in the absence of organic templates is of great industrial importance. In this work, the size of FAU-type zeolites was decreased from micron-to nano-dimensions by reducing the amount of distilled water added to fly ash after alkali fusion. The fly ash zeolites showed high antimicrobial activity after introduction of Cu and Ag, which was associated with the release of Cu/Ag into the medium. This activity of Cu-containing zeolites from fly ash was similar to the activity of Cu-containing zeolites prepared by conventional methods but lower than that of Ag-containing zeolites.