Zeolites are microporous, aluminosilicate minerals commonly used as commercial adsorbents. The term zeolite was originally in 1756 by Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt that the rapid heating of the material stilbite on it large amounts of water vapor from the water that was observed characterized by the material adsorbed.
Zeolites are widely used in industry for the purification of water, as catalysts for the production of modern materials and nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. Their greatest use is in the manufacture of detergents. They are also used in medicine and agriculture. Read the rest of this entry »