According to UK-based market research firm Merchant Research & Consulting Ltd., current demand for zeolites exceeds offer by 15-20%.
China is a major producer of natural zeolites with an estimated annul production volume of 2.5m mt/y (65% of global recovery). However, the bulk of Chinese zeolites is considered to be a low-quality commodity and is used as an additive for pozzolanic cement. Cuba accounts for 15% of global zeolite production, followed by Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
Russia stocks large reserves of this mineral, but zeolite application in Russian industries is close to zero. This is determined by the unconventional character of this mineral paralleled by the high costs of research and technological implementation of zeolites. However, the profitability of industrial manufacture of zeolite-based products ranges between 30% and 50%.
Science branded zeolite as a mineral of the 21st century. It is widely applied in oil industry to produce catalysts.
Presently, zeolites are used in practically all spheres of human activities. They could be widely applied to separate gas mixes from liquids as zeolites able to separate molecules based on differences of size, shape and polarity.
Zeolites feature molecular sieve effect thanks to their specific molecular structure. The shape-selective properties of zeolites are also the basis for their use in molecular adsorption. The ability preferentially to adsorb certain molecules, while excluding others, has opened up a wide range of molecular sieving applications.
World production of natural zeolite was estimated to be between 2.5 and 3 Mt based on reported production by some countries and production estimates published in trade journals.
Estimates for individual countries were China (including pozzolan applications), 1.75 to 2.25 Mt; the Republic of Korea, 160,000 t; Japan, 140,000 to 160,000 t; the United States, 57,400 t; Indonesia, 30,000 to 50,000 t; Turkey, 30,000 to 40,000 t; Hungary, 20,000 to 30,000 t; South Africa, 15,000 to 25,000 t; Cuba, 14,000 t; Bulgaria (excluding pozzolan applications), 10,000 to 15,000 t; Australia, 10,000 to 12,000 t; New Zealand, 9,100 t; Georgia, the Philippines, and Slovakia, 5,000 to 10,000 t each; and Canada, Greece, Italy, and the Commonwealth of Independent States, 3,000 to 5,000 t each. Small amounts of natural zeolite (probably less than 1,000 to 2,000 t) also were produced in Argentina, Germany (excluding pozzolan applications), Jordon (excluding pozzolan applications), Slovenia, Spain, and Ukraine.
In general, countries mining large tonnages of zeolite often use them in low-value applications. The ready availability of zeolite-rich rock at low cost and the shortage of competing minerals and rocks are probably the most important factors for its large-scale use.
Also, it is likely that a significant percentage of the material sold as zeolite in some countries is ground or sawn volcanic tuff that contains only a small amount of zeolite. Some examples of such usage are dimension stone (as an altered volcanic tuff), lightweight aggregate, pozzolanic cement, and soil conditioners U.S. sales of natural zeolites increased at an average rate of almost 9% per year between 1997 and 2007.
The rate of growth in sales has slowed in the past 2 years but is still likely to continue to increase, possibly at an average annual rate of 5%, as companies continue to pursue new markets. World sales of natural zeolites probably will continue to increase as traditional markets expand and new applications are developed.
