Zeolite

Zeolites are a type of mineral made of mostly alumina and silica (an aluminosilicate). They are microporous, meaning they contain tiny holes called pores. Zeolite is commonly used in commercial absorbants and catalysts.^[1] In addition to natural zeolite rocks, many synthetic zeolites have been made by people.

Natural zeolite with a U.S. penny for scale

The name zeolite was given in 1756 by Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt. He called the material zeolite, from the Greek ζέω (zéō), meaning "to boil" and λίθος (líthos), meaning "stone".^[2]

Occurrence

Natural zeolites form where volcanic rocks and ash react with alkaline groundwater. Zeolites found in nature are almost never pure. They are contaminated by other minerals, metals, quartz, or other zeolites.

Uses

Zeolites can be used in domestic and commercial water purification, water softening, and other uses. Zeolites were also found to help silver naturally emit light, which may compete with fluorescent lights or LEDs.^[3]

Zeolites can be used to store solar heat harvested from solar thermal collectors.^[4] The largest use for zeolite is the global laundry detergent market.^[source?]

Synthetic zeolites are widely used in the chemical industry. The crystal structure of synthetic zeolite can be carefully designed to control the size of the pores, allowing it to serve as a molecular sieve that separates molecules by shape and size. The structure can also be designed to control how it acts as a catalyst, or as a scaffold for other crystals to be grown on.^[5]