Why Does Clinoptilolite Content (≥ 80%) Matter in Agriculture?
Higher CEC
CEC of 150-200 meq/100g (technical data sheet). The exchange capacity comes from the clinoptilolite, so the mineral content of the product matters.
Fewer Impurities
Quartz and feldspar, common in low-zeolite tuffs, do not exchange cations and dilute the CEC per kg applied.
More Exchange per kg
With a higher clinoptilolite content, each kg applied carries more cation exchange capacity.
Benefits for Agriculture
Clinoptilolite in soil: water and nitrogen retention
Water Retention
Available soil water with 1% clinoptilolite, depending on particle size (Ibrahim et al., 2021)
Less Nitrogen Loss
Ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions about 50% lower in urea-fertilized soil with clinoptilolite (Wang et al., 2025)
Leaching Reduction
A review reports lower nitrogen leaching when zeolite is applied to the soil together with fertilizer (Cataldo et al., 2021)
Gradual Release
NH₄⁺ and K⁺ retained by cation exchange stay in the root zone and are released gradually (Cataldo et al., 2021)
Less Volatilization
Ammonia volatilization 3 to 4.4 times lower with 15 g/kg clinoptilolite in sandy soil (He et al., 2002)
N Recovery in Rice
In the field, clinoptilolite incorporated into the soil (8-16 t/ha) with 60 kg N/ha raised apparent nitrogen recovery from 40% to up to 65% and increased grain yield (Kavoosi, 2007)
Cadmium Retention in Soil
With 9% clinoptilolite in the soil, 97-99% of cadmium remained retained, versus 12-35% without zeolite, in a laboratory test (Mahabadi et al., 2007)
Study Results
Available water
1% clinoptilolite in soil (Ibrahim et al., 2021)
Less NH₃ and N₂O
Urea-fertilized soil (Wang et al., 2025)
Less NH₃ volatilization
15 g/kg in sandy soil (He et al., 2002)
Applications in Agriculture
Solutions for different agricultural systems
Soil Conditioning
Improvement of water retention and soil structure. Direct soil application to increase water and nutrient retention capacity.
Slow-Release Fertilizers
Reduction of leaching losses and higher efficiency. Mixed with conventional fertilizers for gradual nutrient release.
Composting
Added during composting to retain volatilized ammonia and reduce nitrogen loss from the compost (Witter & López-Real, 1988; Kithome et al., 1999).
* 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 for Agriculture
| Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) | 150-200 meq/100g |
| Water Absorption | 42-50% |
| Form | Powder |
| Bulk Density | 0.6-0.8 g/cm³ |
| pH | 7.0-8.0 |
| Surface Area | 43-47 m²/g (BET) |
| Cationic Selectivity | Cs⁺ highly selective; NH₄⁺ preferred over alkaline earth cations (Ames, 1960) |
| Persistence in Soil | Stable mineral; extremely slow dissolution at neutral pH |