Zahra Ghasemi Laleh Vajeh Sari - Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources & Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University
Habibollah Younesi

ZSM-5 has a ten-ring membered zeolite structure with two types of channel systems, straight and Zig Zag. ZSM-5 as a catalyst is extremely used in industry and elimination of environmental pollutants[1].This zeolite has also found application in synfuels production NO abatement, production of fine chemicals, intermediates[2] and photocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds [1].Rice husks have become a major problem for rice producers for two reasons; firstly open heap burning of rice husks generates undesirable atmospheric pollutants and secondly dumping of rice husks in a landfill site is undesirable because the anaerobic decomposition may result in the collapse of the landfill site that may, in turn, result in a potential leakage of toxic waste into the environment. [3]. Many researchers have concluded that rice husks are an excellent source of high-grade amorphous silica [1].Furthermore, this silica, which can be extracted from rice husk ash by a suitable alkali solution, has been found to be highly reactive for some zeolite syntheses [4].The aim of the present study was to use rice husk, which is an agricultural waste, as silica source for nanozeolite ZSM-5 synthesis