[title size=“2″]Cement and Concrete.[/title]
The high silica content of the zeolites neutralizes excess lime produced by setting concrete, much like fi nely powdered pumice or fl y ash.
Lightweight Aggregate. Much like perlite and other volcanic glasses are frothed into low-density pellets for use as lightweight aggregate in concrete, zeolitic tuff can be ‘‘popped’’ by calcining at elevated temperature. The Russian Sibeerfoam product is expanded zeolitic tuff and is used as lightweight insulating material In Cuba, mortars for ferrocement boats and lightweight aggregate for hollow prestressed concrete slabs contain indigenous clinoptilolite. The mortars have compressive strengths of #55.0 MPa; the ferrocement boats can withstand marine environments.
Natural zeolite is a type of mineralogical material containing large quantities of reactive SiO2 and Al2O3. It is widely used in the cement industry in China as a cement blending material. Like other pozzolanic materials such as silica fume and fly ash, zeolite contributes to concrete strength mainly through the pozzolanic reaction with Ca(OH)2, Thus, the pozzolanic reactivity of this type of material in comparison with other pozzolans is of much interest.
Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that natural zeolite is a pozzolanic material, with a reactivity between that of silica fume and fly ash. Generally, in blended cement pastes with a lower water-to-cementitious materials ratio, the natural zeolite contributes more to the strength of the pastes. But in the pastes with a higher water to cementitious ratio and a lower cement replacement level it undergoes a higher degree of reaction.
zeolite can be used to clean up oil spills and gasoline. It efficiently absorbs and deodorizes fluids including oil, gasoline, possibly methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s), alcohol, water, and a wide variety of other organic and inorganic fluids.