AZOMITE VS ZEOLITE

AZOMITE® & Zeolites

AZOMITE® is sometimes mistakenly compared to another type of rock deposit known as a zeolite. As we shall see, the usage, physical structure and chemical composition of AZOMITE® is quite distinct from all zeolites.

There are roughly 40 natural zeolites in existence today as well as over 100 manmade ones. Natural zeolites are most commonly used in pet litter to retain waste; in animal feed as a toxin binder (even though most toxin binding only works well in vitro and rarely very well in the gut of the animal); in agricultural applications for soils that have poor water retention qualities; and in wastewater treatment.  In contrast, manmade zeolites are more frequently used for water treatment as ion-exchange resins or in petroleum cracking to resolve impurities.

In marked contrast, AZOMITE®’s physical structure, usage profile, and number of biologically available trace minerals are vastly different from any zeolite.  For example, zeolites have a crystalline structure that provides very good water retention, while AZOMITE®’s colloidal structure contributes very little to water retention and appears to more closely resemble a teardrop in which the trace minerals line the perimeter. Second, AZOMITE® is used in animal feed and for soil remineralization where it provides an abundance of trace minerals that are lacking in many feed ingredients and also missing from agricultural lands. Many scientific studies using AZOMITE® in soil and in animal feed suggest that its trace minerals are biologically available; use of zeolites, on the other hand, only provides chemical absorption, adsorption or water retention.

There are so many natural zeolites in existence that it is virtually impossible to provide a reliable single comparative analysis between all zeolites vs. AZOMITE®, but below is a comparison of some of the trace minerals in AZOMITE® vs. one example of a natural zeolite currently on the market. Note that AZOMITE® is higher in trace elements in every essential mineral except Copper (Cu) and includes many others that zeolites usually do not possess:

Trace Element	AZOMITE®	Amount in Common Zeolite
Boron (B)	29 ppm	0
Chromium (Cr)	6.1 ppm	0
Cobalt (Co)	22.3 ppm	0
Iodine (I)	2.2 ppm	0
Molybdenum (Mo)	12.6 ppm	0
Nickel (Ni)	2.6 ppm	0
Praseodymium (Pr)	27 ppm	0
Selenium (Se)	0.7 ppm	0
Silver (Ag)	0.005 ppm	0
Sulphur (S)	240 ppm	0
Tin (Sn)	2.9 ppm	0
Vanadium (V)	7.8 ppm	0
Potassium	5.23%	4.19%
Calcium	3.67%	2.23%
Sodium	2.07%	0.59%
Silica	65.85%	67.40%
Aluminia	11.43%	10.60%
Magnesium	0.78%	0.45%
Titania	0.20%	0.27%
Phosphorous	0.15%	0.10%
Manganese	0.02%	0.01%
Copper (Cu)	12 ppm	25 ppm
Zinc (Zn)	64.3 ppm	35 ppm
Rubidium (Rb)	325 ppm	120 ppm
Iron (Fe)	1.37%	1.30%
Zirconium (Zr)	62.7 ppm	480 ppm
Yttrium (Y)	23 ppm	55 ppm
Niobium (Nb)	40 ppm	40 ppm
Strontium (Sr)	380 ppm	560 ppm
Neodymium (Nd)	5.1 ppm	45 ppm
Lanthanum (La)	220 ppm	55 ppm
Barium (Ba)	0.09%	1200 ppm
Cerium (Ce)	230 ppm	130 ppm
Lead (Pb)	6.2 ppm	29 ppm

For more information on zeolites, see the website maintained by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) here.

AZOMITE® is a unique volcanic deposit with over 67 trace elements. Below are a few comparisons of different volcanic ash deposits around the world. You can clearly see that AZOMITE® has a higher concentration and broader range of trace mineral elements.

Essential Trace Elements in AZOMITE® vs Two Volcanic Bentonites in Uruguay*

Trace Element	AZOMITE®	Bentonites
Copper (Cu)	13.5 ppm	4.3 ppm
Molybdenum (Mo)	12.6 ppm	0.05 ppm
Chromium (Cr)	7.8 ppm	1.28 ppm
Cobalt (Co)	22.3 ppm	4.3 ppm
Boron (B)	29 ppm	0 ppm
Iodine (I)	3.2 ppm	0 ppm
Selenium (Se)	0.79 ppm	0 ppm
Lanthanum (La)	257 ppm	47.2 ppm
Cerium (Ce)	360 ppm	94.4 ppm
Praseodymium (Pr)	27 ppm	13.1 ppm
Nickel (Ni)	2.6 ppm	0 ppm
Rubidium (Rb)	325 ppm	6.2 ppm
Tungsten	31 ppm	0.69 ppm
Sulphur	210 ppm	0 ppm

*Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences;
2006 78(3) 525-541; “Chemical Signature of Two
Permian Volcanic Ash Deposits within a bentonite bed from Melo, Uruguay”

Properties of Five Volcanic Ash Deposits from Four Countries** vs. AZOMITE®

Mineral Element	AZOMITE®	Volcanic Ash
Boron (B)	29 ppm	0.25 ppm
Cobalt (Co)	22.3 ppm	0.03 ppm
Copper (Cu)	13.5 ppm	0.66 ppm
Iron (Fe)	10,370 ppm	2.51 ppm
Manganese (Mn)	200 ppm	5.93 ppm
Vanadium (V)	9.3 ppm	0.09 ppm
Zinc (Zn)	64.3	1.96 ppm

**US Geological Survey: Volcanic Ash: Effects & Mitigation Strategies