Industrial Applications
Cation capture in effluents, in batch mode
Cesium Capture
Natural clinoptilolite has high selectivity for Cs⁺ among common cations (Ames series, 1960), useful in effluents containing cesium.
Heavy Metals
Batch removal of metals by ion exchange, with selectivity Pb²⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Zn²⁺ (Ouki & Kavannagh, 1997).
Lead Selectivity
In batch tests, natural clinoptilolite showed selectivity Pb²⁺ > Fe³⁺ > Cr³⁺ ≥ Cu²⁺; acidity (H⁺) competes with the metals (Inglezakis et al., 2003).
Metal Capacity
In a static test, clinoptilolite retained up to 27.7 mg/g of Pb²⁺, 25.8 of Cu²⁺, 13.0 of Ni²⁺ and 4.2 of Cd²⁺; finer fractions retained more (Sprynskyy et al., 2006).
* Reference doses. They may be reviewed by qualified professionals, such as veterinarians, agronomists, animal scientists, chemists and food engineers, among others, since professional titles and qualifications vary between countries; local regulatory bodies may also set their own limits.
Technical Specifications
| Water Absorption | 42-50% |
| Oil Absorption | 57 mL/100 g |
| Form | Powder |
| Bulk Density | 0.6-0.8 g/cm³ |
| pH | 7.0-8.0 |
| Flammability | Non-flammable |
| Chemical Stability | Stable in acidic media; degrades in strongly alkaline media |
| Disposal | According to local waste classification rules for the retained residue |