Natural Zeolites as Sorbents of Environmental Pollutants

Dear Colleagues,

There is increasing attention being given to environmental contamination, due to both a boost in polluting substances, and a major attention to the environment. Cleansing treatments are a complex issue, since the technology depends on the chemical nature of pollutants, as well as on the subsequent utilization of purified matter.

Growing interest has been shown in pollutant adsorption on solid adsorbing materials. Natural zeolites—minerals worldwide occurring in volcanic districts. Major producers include China, South Korea, Japan, Jordan, Turkey, Slovakia and the United States. Important quarries of zeolitized rocks are also found in Europe, such as in Italy, Serbia, and Poland.

Zeolites are aluminosilicates characterized by a large surface area, high cation exchange capacity and a three-dimensional cage-like structure, with channel apertures of a few Angstrom units. Owing to such a structural feature, natural zeolites are widely used as ions sorbent/exchanger and molecular sieves, including for odor control and the management of leaks of radioactive materials.  Organic molecules that are too large to fit in zeolite channels can be also adsorbed on a zeolite surface, giving the material new and interesting sorption properties. Furthermore, zeolite-bearing rocks are cheap and easily found on the market. During last half century, a great deal of applied research has revealed that natural zeolites are an ideal material for adsorbing pollutants. On the other hand, little consideration has been given to the environmentally-friendly fate for pollutant-charged zeolites.

The goal of this Special Issue is to update the state-of-the-art of knowledge regarding the application of natural zeolites for environment reclamation, calling for papers showing innovative uses and post-uses of such extraordinary minerals.

Prof. Sante Capasso
Prof. Andrea Buondonno
Guest Editors

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• natural zeolites
• zeolite-bearing rocks
• surface activity
• adsorption
• cation exchange