AbstractThe objective of this research is to generate Y zeolite using local silica sand as a source of silica via the hydrothermal method. Prior to synthesis, contaminants were removed from the local silica sand using hydrochloric acid, and Al2O3 was utilized as an aluminum source. Y zeolite was hydrothermally synthesized at 100± 1°C. Room temperature and 48 h were chosen as the aging temperature and period, respectively. In this synthesis, the impact of reaction time and different SiO2/Al2O3 and Na2O/SiO2 ratios were explored. The synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, and FT‐IR. Y zeolite, with a low SiO2/Al2O3 ratio (3.0–3.9), was synthesized at a high yield under low alkalinity conditions (Na2O/SiO2 = 0.9–2.0) after optimizing the synthesis time. The competitive phase was P zeolite, which was found in the products at high reaction time (12 h). However, pure Y zeolite with high crystallinity was produced under optimum circumstances, such as crystallization temperature (100°C) and 10 h. The findings reveal that reaction time has a role in the generation of Y zeolite. It has been revealed that low‐cost raw materials like silica sand can be utilized to produce Y zeolite. The NaY zeolites were subsequently transformed into HY by ammonium exchange and calcination.