More than seventeen years have passed now since Glauco Gottardi and Ermano Galli 1 have published their remarkable book on «NATURAL ZEOLITES» where properties and features of naturally occuring phases then available have been compiled. Several new natural zeolites have been found since then, but also natural counterparts ofzeolites which have only been known as synthesis products. The natural formation conditions of zeolites could only be deduced and estimated from their geological environment at the time when NATURAL ZEOLITES has been published, as zeolite synthesis was mainly focused on procedures at low pressures such as those introduced by Barrer and co workers'. Natural zeolites, however, had only been obtained "occasionally" and systematic study to reconstruct these formation conditions has not been performed ever since. This book is focused on the synthesis of natural zeolites by simulating the natural synthesis conditions in the laboratory which are essentially different in means and results from those obtained by conventional synthesis methods. Although the synthesis in the laboratory has undoubtly a great number of advantages over nature such as the employment of proper precursors or the choice of pressure and temperature in a wide range, the synthesis time is very limited in respect to natural conditions: synthesis times ofyears or even tens ofyears which would be necessary to obtain synthesis results for some zeolites- e.g. at 4°C (deep sea conditions) are rather unrealistic.

"Handbook of Natural Zeolites provides a comprehensive and updated summary of all important aspects of natural zeolites science and technology. The e-book contains four sections covering the relevant scientific background, established technologies, recent "

Volume 45 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry is a new and expanded update of Volume 4 from 1977. Most of the material in this volume is entirely new, and Natural Zeolites: Occurrence, Properties, Applications presents a fresh and expanded look at many of the subjects contained in Volume 4. There has been an explosion in our knowledge of the crystal chemistry and structures of natural zeolites (Chapters 1 and 2), due in part to the now-common Rietveld method that allows treatment of powder diffraction data. Studies on the geochemistry of natural zeolites have also greatly increased, partly as a result of the interests related to the disposal of radioactive wastes, and Chapters 3, 4, 5, 13, and 14 detail the latest results in this important area. Until the latter part of the 20th century, zeolites were often looked upon as a geological curiosity, but they are now known to be widespread throughout the world in sedimentary and igneous deposits and in soils (Chapters 6-12). The application of natural zeolites has greatly expanded since the first zeolite volume. Chapter 15 details the use of natural zeolites for removal of ammonium ions, heavy metals, radioactive cations, and organic molecules from natural waters, wastewaters, and soils. Similarly, Chapter 16 describes the use of natural zeolites as building blocks and cements in the building industry, Chapter 17 outlines their use in solar energy storage, heating, and cooling applications, and Chapter 18 describes their use in a variety of agricultural applications, including as soil conditioners, slow-release fertilizers, soil-less substrates, carriers for insecticides and pesticides, and remediation agents in contaminated soils.

Volume 4 of Reviews in Mineralogy was prepared to serve as notes for a short course on the Mineralogy and Geology of Natural Zeolites held in Seattle, Washington, November 4-6, 1977. The title of the short course reads Natural Zeolites; however, the subject matter treated in the course and reviewed here deals primarily with those zeolites that occur in sedimentary rocks and which have formed by authigenic or burial diagenetic processes. Unfortunately, only limited coverage has been given to the classical occurrences of zeolites--the megascopic crystals in the vugs and cavities of basalts and other basic igneous rocks. Our only justification is that since the late 1950s, almost all major efforts on zeolites have been directed towards the "sedimentary" occurrences, and it is these occurrences of zeolites in sedimentary rocks that are still unfamiliar to many geologists and mineralogists. It is our intention that this short course and these notes will play a small role in alleviating this unfamiliarity.

A collection of key papers and documents dealing with zeolites in their natural state with scientific, mining, industrial and environmental concerns addressed. This conference was the major meeting of the 1990s on this topic.

In view of the substantial progress made in the last decade in the fields of zeolites and related materials it was decided to go for an extended 2nd Edition of "Introduction to Zeolite Science and Practice". Unfortunately - as often is the case - this process took more time than expected by the Editors.In the mean time some new texts on zeolites were issued. Nevertheless, the combination of data, discussion and dedication provided by the present book is a unique coverage of the field, in the opinion of the Editors.In the present Edition the number of chapters rose from 16-22. The contributions can be divided into three categories: updated chapters by the original authors, updated chapters by an expanded or new team of authors and completely new chapters. This 2nd Edition also contains new chapters on "Zeolite-based supramolecular assemblies" (by Dirk De Vos and Pierre Jacobs, experts in this area) and on "The use of bulky probe molecules" (by Paul Kunkeler, Roger Downing and one of the Editors).Finally, the super large pore zeolites and the fast growing area of ordered mesoporous materials are dealt with by Eelco Vogt, Charlie Kresge and and Jim Vartuli. The latter two authors belong to the discoverers of the M41S family of mesoporous materials.

Zeolites are the most frequently used industrial catalysts. Their applications range from oil refining, petrochemistry and the synthesis of special chemicals to environmental catalysis. Rapid progress in basic research and the development of new processes has resulted in the first Federation of European Zeolite Associations (FEZA) School on Zeolites. Zeolites and Ordered Mesoporous Materials: Progress and Prospects reflects the programme of the first School on Zeolites, held in Prague on August 20-21, 2005. Readers gain insight into the synthesis of the ever-expanding spectrum of zeolites, zeotypes and ordered mesoporous materials including the use of zeolites and mesoporous materials as catalysts in organic conversions. These range from the fascinating ship-in-bottle systems via cascade reactions to bulk applications in oil-refining and petrochemistry. Contributions from world experts enhance the book, with select chapters on trends in the molecular sieves field, zeolite structures, ion-exchange properties of zeolites, advanced applications (with unique technologies and opportunities) and a chapter on natural zeolites.* Contains contributions from world experts in the field * Includes an account of the frontier topic of high-throughput techniques* Reviews the application of quantum-chemical methods to zeolite science to show the necessity of combining experimental and theoretical approaches

Introduction to Zeolite Molecular Sieves, 3rd Edition presents a collection of the most important results and ideas in the field of molecular sieve chemistry and technology, the most important experimental techniques related to the research activities in molecular sieves, and identifies new areas of molecular sieve chemistry. Chapters start at a reasonably simple entry level, but also covers the present state-of-the-art in the field. Topics covered include structure, synthesis, characterization, ion exchange, adsorption, diffusion, separations, and natural zeolites.* 6 years since the last edtion this book brings together the rapid development within the field of molecular sieve chemistry and applications * Accessible to newcomers to the field, also containing valuable information for experienced researchers * 27 chapters written by renowned scientists in their field, including updates on some 2nd edition chapters