A SIMPLE METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CLINOPTILOLITE IN NATURAL ZEOLITE ROCKS

A reliable and a ppa rent method based on diffuse reflecta nce FT i.r. spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for the quantitative determination of clinoptil olite in natural zeolites has been developed. The technique provides a simple and time-saving analysis of the minerals when compared with th e powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and/or the conventional pellet preparation i.r. technique. Because of the complex structure of the n atural minerals, the reliability of the analysis is improved further b y combining the XRD and DRIFTS methods. In this study, the clinoptilol ite concentration of natural zeolites mined in the US and Hungary was determined by both techniques. The results were compared, and good agr eement was found.