Abstract
The morphology and chemistry of natural zeolites,
whose occurrence is ubiquitous to the South African provinces of
Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) and Western Cape (WC), were studied using
scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive
spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence
(XRF) and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) nitrogen adsorptiondesorption
technique. The stability of these zeolites in varying pH
conditions and their cation exchange capacity (CEC) was also
investigated. The main mineral constituent of the natural zeolites was
found to be clinoptilolite, with plagioclase, quartz and muscovite
being the common impurities. The zeolite footprint was not altered
after treatment with a hydrochloric (HCl) acid. The BET surface
area ranged from 65.5 to 33.22 m2/g while the pore size ranged from
3 to 10 nm for the natural zeolites. These properties make them good
prospective materials for application in biomedicines, environmental
preservation and agriculture.