What exactly is the difference between montmorillonite and zeolite?(2)

The adsorption effect of montmorillonite includes surface adsorption and ion exchange adsorption, but its adsorption effect on non-ionic organic pollutants depends on the size of organic cations, and also depends on the cation exchange capacity of different montmorillonites, so the effect is relatively unstable.

Natural zeolite contains all the macronutrients and most of the trace elements required for the growth and development of livestock, poultry and aquatic products, which exist in the state of ions and can be absorbed and utilized by livestock, poultry, fish, shrimp and crabs. In addition, natural zeolite also has the characteristics of catalytic, adsorption, ion exchange, acid resistance, thermal stability and toxicity resistance, so it plays a great role in the field of livestock, poultry and aquatic feed additives.

As one of the raw materials of feed additives, montmorillonite can effectively prevent diarrhea in weaned piglets, reduce the residues of heavy metals, aflatoxins and pesticides in products, and effectively inhibit the reproduction of harmful bacteria such as E. coli in the intestinal tract; prolong the speed of feed passing through the digestive tract of animals, and improve the conversion rate of feed.

[Zeolite] can solidify heavy metal ions within its own pore channels, reducing their harm through decomposition and solidification, avoiding the risk of crops absorbing heavy metal pollutants and transferring them to the food chain. Research shows that when the surface of zeolite with negative ions meets heavy metals with positive ions, such as cadmium, mercury, lead, copper and cesium, it will undergo ion exchange and thus firmly adsorb the heavy metals.

[Montmorillonite] can promote the conversion of heavy metals in soil from acid-soluble fraction to residual-soluble fraction and reduce the extraction rate of heavy metals in soil, which is mainly achieved through electrostatic attraction, precipitation and chelation with water-soluble organic carbon.

As two seemingly similar natural environmental minerals, zeolite and montmorillonite both have strong adsorption and ion exchange properties, but they are not "one mother and one sibling", the former is a silica-aluminate mineral, the latter is a clay mineral, which distinguishes the two minerals from each other. And through the small country in the above detailed comparison, it can be found that montmorillonite in adsorption performance, ion exchange properties are inferior to zeolite, and its application needs to be modified in order to play its greater utility. In comparison, our zeolite is easier to process, more effective, more stable and more widely used.