"Zeolite" refers to a group of minerals that are
basically hydrated calcium potassium sodium
aluminosilicates in which the water is held in
cavities in the lattice.
The lattices are negatively
charged and they loosely hold cations such as
calcium, sodium, ammonium, and potassium; and also
Their ability to exchange one cation for
another is known as their "cation-exchange capacity"
or "CEC". Cation-exchange capacity is a measure of
the number of cations per unit weight available for
exchange, usually expressed as milliequivalents per 100 grams of material.
Zeolites can be synthetically engineered and
produced for such applications as water softening,
detergents, cation removal, and for a wide variety
of oil refining applications. The cost of these
synthetic zeolites range up to $100.00 per pound or
$2,000,000.00 per ton.
Bear River Zeolite (BRZ™)
is a natural zeolite and it typically costs less
than synthetic zeolite.
Zeolites are also referred to as "molecular
sieves", because the channel ways within the
crystalline structure are extremely small and they
can be used to separate large molecules from smaller
The reader is referred to a paper
"La roca magica: Uses of
natural zeolites in agriculture and industry"
by the late Fredrick A. Mumpton