Green and rapid synthesis of hierarchical nano-sized pure Si-Beta zeolite supported with Zn and Y for effective synthesis of butadiene from aqueous ethanol

•Green and fast synthesis of hierarchical nano-sized pure Si-Beta zeolite.•ZnY/Si-Beta catalyst is fabricated by facial solid phase milling method.•The acid-base properties are efficiently balanced via synergy of Zn and Y.•The structure-performance relationship of catalysts is clearly clarified.•The excellent catalytic activity and butadiene selectivity are achieved. Direct synthesis of butadiene (BD) from aqueous ethanol is a promising route, but the development of novel supports and the yield of BD still confronts significant challenges. Herein, we report the green and rapid synthesis method of hierarchical nano-sized pure Si-Beta zeolite, which drastically reduces the crystallization time and avoids the use of HF as well as the generation of large amounts of wastewater compared to the conventional pure Si-Beta zeolite synthesis. Meanwhile, the synthesized hierarchical nano-sized pure Si-Beta zeolite supported with Zn and Y achieved more than 60 % for BD selectivity and ethanol conversion of 98 % at 350 °C and 0.57 h−1. The hierarchical nano-sized structure of ZnY/Si-Beta effectively promoted synergistic effect of Zn and Y species and modified the acid-base properties to maximize the production of BD from aqueous ethanol. More importantly, the catalytic performance was superior to that of the reported commercial pure Si-Beta catalytic system.