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Volume 114
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Rapid synthesis of nano-sized Beta zeolite via guar gum assistance: Tailoring particle morphology for improved diffusion in lactide production (Open Access)
Ziyuan Qiao, Jianbin Huang, Xiaoyuan Qin, Jindong Qu, Jian Zhang *
State Key Laboratory of Green Biomanufacturing, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter, Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China
10.1016/j.partic.2026.04.007
Volume 114, July 2026, Pages 141-154
Received 11 February 2026, Revised 30 March 2026, Accepted 10 April 2026, Available online 24 April 2026, Version of Record 30 April 2026.
E-mail: jianzhangbuct@buct.edu.cn
Highlights

• Guar gum enables rapid high-temperature synthesis of nano-sized Beta zeolite.

• Guar gum suppresses Ostwald ripening, giving <100 nm Beta with intercrystalline pores.

• Tailored Beta delivers 79.2% lactide yield, far above the control zeolite (52.5%).

• Shortened diffusion paths from smaller crystals limit overpolymerization and coking.


Abstract

Beta zeolite serves as a crucial catalyst for the direct one-step synthesis of lactide from lactic acid, yet its application encounters persistent challenges including prolonged synthesis duration and excessive crystal ripening, which substantially compromise the efficient and high-quality production of zeolites at industrial scale. To address this, we developed a rapid hydrothermal synthesis route at 180 °C, employing an inexpensive bio-derived polysaccharide, guar gum, as a crystal growth modulator. By systematically optimizing key parameters (guar gum/SiO2 ratio, aging temperature/duration, crystallization time), we successfully tailored the zeolite's texture. The introduction of guar gum effectively suppressed Ostwald ripening, yielding Beta zeolite with significantly reduced primary crystal size (<100 nm) and developed intercrystalline porosity within a remarkably short period of 8 h. Compared to a rapidly synthesized counterpart without guar gum, the optimized catalyst exhibited a substantially higher specific surface area (586 vs. 384 m2 g−1) and a mesopore population centered at 20–60 nm. In the conversion of lactic acid to lactide, this nano-structured catalyst delivered a markedly higher lactide yield of 79.2%, a 51% improvement over the control sample (52.5%). Gel permeation chromatography and thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that the tailored particle architecture shortened diffusion paths, effectively mitigating oligomer overpolymerization and coking. This work provides a facile and scalable strategy for controlling zeolite crystal growth at the nanoscale, demonstrating the significant impact of particle morphology engineering on catalytic process efficiency.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Fast crystallization; Beta zeolite; Mass transfer; Lactide
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