What is Zeolite?

Zeolite is an effective sorbent, ion exchanger, catalyst, pozzolan, heat insulator

About zeolite

Natural zeolite is a non-metallic mineral, a porous mineral with sorbing, ion-exchange, catalytic, pozzolanic, buffering, heat-insulating and other properties. It is an effective, safe, non-toxic and inexpensive material. Zeolite is often referred to as “molecular sieve” because of its unique porous structure, which provides proven commercial advantages in a variety of applications.

Zeolites are the general name for aqueous framework aluminosilicates of alkali and alkaline earth metals. The aluminosilicate framework provides exceptional strength and stability to the lattice structure. The structure of the mineral is formed from tetrahedrons consisting of silicon and aluminum oxides. The framework is negatively charged, and the cavities contain water molecules and positively charged metal cations. These cations can participate in ion exchange with the external environment. Zeolites are natural and synthetic, natural are divided into volcanic and sedimentary types.

Zeolites are:

1.synthetic 2.natural
:

volcanic
sedimentary

sedimentary Properties of natural zeolite and its application

The wide range of applications stems primarily from the following physicochemical properties of zeolite:

Due to the above properties, zeolites have found application in many industries:

In water treatment

as filtering and ion-exchange media

In animal husbandry

as mineral additives and absorbers of mycotoxins, heavy metals

In the polymer industry

as fillers and moisture sorbents

In petrochemistry

as catalysts for chemical processes and air dryers

In plant growing

as a soil improver, ameliorant and fertilizer prolonger

In construction

zeolites are used as active mineral additives that improve the strength characteristics of materials

In oil production

as components of drilling fluids

In metallurgy

as heat insulators and components of molding sand

In the food industry

zeolites play the role of an anti-caking agent, a sorbent of moisture and gases when storing vegetables and other products

In everyday life

zeolites can be found in filters for purifying drinking water, in cat litter, filling in synthetic turf, in bags as a desiccant and odor absorber.

More About Zoelitie

Zeolite is clean water, safety and productivity of animals, productivity and health of plants, environmentally friendly food, convenient technological process, durable materials, cleanliness and comfort in the house, safety, comfort and human health.

What determines the properties of natural zeolite?

First of all , the properties and specificity of using zeolites depend on the composition. More than 40 mineral species of natural zeolites are known. Clinoptilolite is used more than others, which was formed when volcanic ash was ejected into the atmosphere during strong eruptions. Plumes of volcanic ash often travel thousands of miles before settling on the surface of the earth, where over the years they crystallize into a remarkably pure and highly efficient hydrated aluminosilicate. In volcanic rocks, the clinoptilolite content is at least 70%. Biogenic zeolite-containing rocks of the sedimentary type, as a rule, contain less of the main mineral – 20-30%, but they are also simplistically called zeolites.

The second important factor is recycling. Zeolite rock shows useful properties in full only after mechanical and thermal activation. At the factories of CEO GROUP, wet rock goes through the following stages of processing: crushing, drying, exposure to ultrasound, exposure at certain temperatures, subsequent grinding, grinding and fractionation. As a result of these processes, water and carbon dioxide are removed from the rock, and the pore volume and specific surface area increase. Not only water leaves the pores, but also part of the water, which is directly connected with the crystal lattice, due to which active centers appear on the inner surface of the zeolite – the zeolite becomes activated and ready for use.

Zeolite facts

After the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant,
radioactive elements got into water bodies . The task was to provide the population with
clean water.

To solve the problem, it was proposed to use natural zeolite, which absorbs and retains radioactive elements. Zeolite was used as a filtering and ion-exchange loading at water treatment plants, which made it possible to provide clean water to many settlements of the country and to protect people from the harmful effects of radiation. Academician Alexander Bgatov made a suspension of dried zeolite and forced the liquidators of the accident to drink this solution. Zeolite removed radioactive elements and prevented radiation sickness.

In Kazan water utility, zeolite is used as a catalytic charge in the iron removal process. The water is enriched with oxygen in the aeration head and enters the apparatus with a zeolite charge. On the surface of the zeolite, a catalytic film of 3-valence iron oxide Fe2O3 forms, which itself promotes the oxidation of 2-valent iron ions Fe2 + to Fe2O3 oxide, and then 3-valent iron hydroxide Fe (OH) 3, which do not dissolve in water and settles on the surface of the zeolite. Settled “rust” is periodically removed by backwashing. In this process, the developed surface of the mineral on which the catalytic layer is held is important; such a zeolite charge can work without replacement for up to 10-12 years!

JSC “Kirovskie Kommunalnye Sistemy” use dusty zeolite to reduce the concentration of ammonium ions in the incoming river water. The zeolite, ground to a dusty state, is loaded into the installation, where it is activated and mixed with water. The resulting pulp is fed into a container, from which it is dosed into the block from the purified river water. Here, zeolite microparticles absorb ammonium ions on their surface, after which they settle in sedimentation basins in the form of sediment and are retained on subsequent filters.

Mosvodostok – Moscow Housing and Utilities Department State Unitary Enterprise for the Operation of Moscow Drainage Systems uses natural zeolite in wastewater treatment processes.

Animal Feeding

Zeolite is a selective enterodonorosorbent and is used in animal feeding. The structure of the mineral has a certain pore size – 0.4 nm in diameter. This pore size does not allow the zeolite to absorb nutrients – amino acids, vitamins, proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids. The exchange reaction occurs with the participation of only small-sized ions and compounds.

This is its main difference from other sorbents. Zeolite gives off calcium, potassium and sodium, and thanks to amorphous silica, silicon enters the body.

Zeolite absorbs hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia, ammonium ions, heavy metals, radionuclides, mycotoxins. The mineral itself is not absorbed into the bloodstream and is excreted from the body. These properties allow using zeolite in feeding all the time, protecting animals from harmful substances and preserving all the vitamins from the feed.

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Tom Sykes

CEO, Core Creative