What is Zeolite
Zeolite [zee-o-lite] is a large family (46 varieties) of alumino-silicates. <how named> Zeolite is a natural occurring crystalline mineral formed over millions of years ago when volcanic ash fell into shallow, alkaline, brackish lakes. Once deposited, the ash filled the lakes and absorbed their alkaline minerals. This wet ash was then compressed over a long period of time (5 to 10 million years) to form a hard rock material. <formation/types>. The hardness of the zeolite we used is 8 on the Mohr scale of hardness. Only sapphires (9) and diamonds (10) are harder.
Zeolite has a unique open, micro-porous molecular structure that, when seen through an electron microscope has a honeycomb or ocean-sponge like appearance with thousands of microscopic openings <structure>. These microscopic openings, channels, chambers, cavities, cells, (we will call them cages), which form this intricate honeycomb structure, carry a natural, strong, negative charge.
It is the zeolite's negatively charged honeycomb structure that makes the mineral so vitally important. It has given the mineral the ability to trap and remove many of the positively charged damaging toxins, chemicals and heavy metals that are all around us which have found their way into the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.
The strength of the negative charge can be measured and is called its ‘cation exchange capacity or CEC’ (its ability to exchange one cation [cat-ion] with another). <cations> The cages or openings are often identical in shape but vary in size and have the ability to attract, pull into the cages and trap there (hence the name), any positive charged particles found in any fluids, solutions or water and air passing around, through or over the zeolite.
Scientific research over a long period of time has indicated that certain types of zeolites cause no internal damage if ingested or inhaled. <safety/toxicology> In fact, zeolites have been used for hundreds of years as a human body cleanser and, beginning in the twentieth century, in industry to collect, filter and extract many different organic compounds and metals from fluids. <uses>
Where zeolite is used in the products manufactured by this Company, the mineral is only sourced from one mine in Australia <why Australian zeolite>.
