History of Zeolite

History of Zeolite

Zeolite was first discovered by the Ancient Romans who used it in their aqueducts to filter their water. 

  In China,  it has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine formulations.

  In 1756,   a Swedish mineralogist named Cronstedt, formally recognized zeolites as a new class of minerals consisting of hydrated aluminosilicates of the alkali and alkaline earths. He coined the name “ zeolite” which was derived from two Greek words,  zeo and lithos meaning  “ to boil” and “ a stone”.

 Zeolite was only commercially discovered in the USA around the 1950’s. In the 1970’s it was used in the treating of wastewater ammonia and radioactive material. As the mineral’s amazing filtration and absorption ability became more known, people started using it in pools in Europe and the USA. Since the 1980’s, Zeolite has been identified for use in many different applications and as such has become a very valuable commodity.

• B.C. —  Used in Roman AquaDucts to purify the water & building construction.
• 1755  —  Rediscovered by a Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrick Cronstedt
• 1960’s — Mentioned in scientific circles in Europe and U.S.
• 1970’s — Used for wastewater ammonia removal
• 1979 — Three Mile Island radioactivity removal 
• 1980’s — Used to clarify pool water in Europe and then in USA
• 1986 —   Chernobyl, radioactivity removal
• 1990’s — Used in agriculture and with cattle and poultry and began to be sold as a supplement for detoxifying the human body
• 2011 —   Fukushima, Japan radioactivity removal