Knowra Zeolite Zeolite Zeolites are porous, hydrated aluminosilicate minerals with crystal frameworks that can exchange ions and selectively adsorb molecules. Their cavities and channels give them uses in catalysis, separation, and water treatment.
Aluminosilicate : A material composed primarily of aluminum, silicon, and oxygen, often with additional cations. Zeolite frameworks are a crystalline, porous family of aluminosilicates.
Fluid catalytic cracking : A petroleum-refining process that breaks heavy hydrocarbons into lighter products using circulating solid catalysts. Zeolite catalysts convert heavy oil fractions into gasoline-range hydrocarbons.
Tetrahedron : A polyhedron with four triangular faces, four vertices, and six edges. The basic structural unit in zeolites is a silicon- or aluminum-centered oxygen tetrahedron.
Clinoptilolite : A naturally occurring zeolite mineral in the heulandite group, commonly found in volcanic tuffs. Its abundance and ion-exchange behavior make it a widely studied natural zeolite.
Activated carbon : A highly porous carbon material used to adsorb gases, vapors, and dissolved substances. Unlike crystalline zeolites, it has a largely noncrystalline pore structure and carbon surfaces.
Tetrahedral framework : A three-dimensional structure built from linked tetrahedra, each centered on an atom bonded to four neighbors. Linked silicon- and aluminum-centered tetrahedra form zeolite frameworks.
Catalytic cracking : The breaking of large molecules into smaller ones through reactions accelerated by a catalyst. Acidic zeolites catalyze hydrocarbon cracking inside their pore networks.
Silicate mineral : A mineral built from silicon-oxygen units, commonly linked into larger structures with other elements. Zeolites belong to the broad mineral class built from silicate frameworks.
Mordenite : A natural zeolite mineral with a framework containing channels of differing dimensions. Its channel system illustrates how framework geometry shapes molecular access.
Metal-organic framework : A porous crystalline material assembled from metal-containing nodes and organic linkers. These frameworks offer tunable chemistry but use a different structural architecture from zeolites.
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