Facile fabrication and characterization of porous clay–zeolite ceramic for ammonia gas removal

Ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions from poultry production raise environmental and welfare concerns. This study developed porous clay–zeolite ceramic composite pellets using rice husk ash (RHA), ball clay, and zeolite NaX to mitigate the NH 3 release from broiler bedding. Pellets with various RHA to ball clay weight ratios (60:40, 65:35 and 70:30) and additional zeolite (0–20 g into 100 g of the RHA/ball clay mix) were prepared and tested for NH 3 gas adsorption in a sealed desiccator and verified by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and BET analysis. The pellet with the RHA: ball clay: zeolite weight ratio of 60:40:20 exhibited the highest specific surface area (102.10 m 2 /g) and achieved approximately 80% NH 3 removal efficiency. Experimental results showed that the specific surface area of the prepared pellets increased significantly with higher zeolite and ball clay contents. Although higher RHA and zeolite contents slightly reduced mechanical strength and maintained water absorption, all pellets remained structurally stable and suitable for bedding purposes. These findings demonstrated the potential of porous clay-zeolite ceramics as effective bedding amendment for reducing NH 3 emission in poultry production.