Comprehensive mineralogical study of Australian zeolites

Industrial applications of natural zeolites depend on their mineralogical, physical and chemical characteristics. Over the last 20 years, Australian natural zeolites have been investigated for use in various industrial applications. However, there are few, if any, mineral characterisation studies on Australian natural zeolites since the early 1990s that use modern techniques. In this study, a detailed mineralogical analysis was conducted on zeolite specimens from Avoca and Werris Creek deposits, located in Queensland and New-South-Wales, respectively, in Australia. Their physical properties, thermal behaviour and porosity, as well as mineral compositions were determined by conventional methods, including thermogravimetry, N-2 adsorption/desorption, optical microscopy, XRF, in situ XRD, SEM/EDS and EPMA/WDS. High-precision, high-accuracy measurements of the chemical compositions of fine-grained zeolites (<20 mu m) were performed in situ in thin section using accepted EPMA protocols and data reduction methods. The Australian zeolites were identified as magnesium heulandite/clinoptilolite-Ca which corrects interpretations from earlier studies.

Automated summary

The study conducted a detailed mineralogical analysis of Australian zeolites and identified them as magnesium heulandite/clinoptilolite-Ca. Various conventional methods and modern techniques were employed to determine their physical properties, thermal behavior, porosity, and mineral compositions. This research corrected interpretations from earlier studies and provided valuable insights into the industrial applications of Australian natural zeolites.