Effects of Ball Milling on Zeolite powders for use in Additively Manufactured Solid Sorbents

Zeolite is used as an adsorbent in carbon dioxide (CO-2) removal systems in spacecraft cabins. Reducing the size of zeolite powder particles may provide uniform particle size distribution and increase the materials manufacturability as a paste for additive manufacturing (AM) or slip casting. This paper will describe the zeolite powder ball milling process and the analysis methods used in characterizing the materials particle size, particle size distribution, surface area, and CO2 gas adsorption. Multi-variable dry ball milling in a planetary ball mill was used as the process for this experiment: the amount of time powder was milled, rotational speed of the milling machine, ball to powder ratio, and ball to jar volume ratio where considered. Virgin powder was compared to milled powder through laser diffraction and SEM imaging techniques.