Using one waste to tackle another: Preparation of a CO2 capture material zeolite X from laterite residue and bauxite

•Valuable zeolite X has been synthesized from laterite residue and bauxite.•High product purity has been achieved by optimizing the process conditions.•Prepared zeolite X shows comparable gas adsorption properties to commercial ones.•Prepared zeolite X can be used for carbon capture by vacuum swing adsorption. In this work, zeolite X, a benchmark adsorbent for carbon capture, has been successfully prepared from low cost waste minerals namely laterite residue and bauxite using alkali fusion process followed by hydrothermal treatment. The structure and morphology of the as-synthesized zeolite X were verified and characterized with a range of experimental techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electronic microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. The surface area and (N2 and CO2) gas adsorption isotherms of this product were found comparable to that of commercial ones, demonstrating the effectiveness of synthesizing zeolite X from laterite and bauxite. Further improvement of the product purity was also accomplished by optimizing the process conditions.