Zeolites: Advances in Research and Applications

Book excerpt: Zeolite is a mineral that consists mainly of aluminosilicate, and its major commercial use is as a surfactant. Over the last decade, significant efforts have been devoted to the development of micro-mesoporous zeolite materials, which are also referred to as mesostructured zeolites. Zeolites show potential as heterogeneous catalysts for terpenes valorisation into fragrances and flavours, replacing the homogenous catalysts. The results of research on of zeolite catalysts for selective reduction of nitrogen oxides by C1-C4-hydrocarbons and ethanol are demonstrated, in particular, the selective reduction activity of Ag/BEA catalysts. The authors also explore the synthesis of hierarchical zeolites uzing green templates such as natural polymers, surfactants and biological agents, as traditional templates are expensive and toxic. The recent developments in dehydration of organics, organic/organic separation, desalination and gas separation using zeolite membranes are reviewed in detail. Studies on the synthesis of zeolites in alkali-activated materials and the physicochemical changes of alkali-activated materials induced by these zeolites are presented. Due to their stability, form selectivity, non-corrosiveness, and environmental compatibility, zeolites are suggested as a suitable option for the thermal catalytic cracking process. The authors provide fundamental research data on the Cuban zeolite in Detoxsan®, including its different medical applications in comparison to the available literature regarding the medical use of zeolites.