Joint
Geological Society of America/Soil Science Society of America
Annual Meeting

Houston, Texas (USA), 5-9 October 2008

Session on

Natural Zeolite Utilization in Agriculture, Environmental Science, and Industry:
Characterization, Properties, and Applications

Session co-chairs are Rob Bowman (New Mexico Tech) and Phil Neuhoff (University of Florida) This session is jointly sponsored by GSA, SSSA (Divisions S2, Soil Chemistry; S9,Soil Mineralogy; and S11,Soils and Environmental Quality) and the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA).

Session description:

The high reactivity and unique crystallography of natural zeolites lead to their use in environmental remediation, industry, and agriculture. This session will bring together researchers from geology, soil science, agriculture, and industry to discuss the latest advances in natural zeolite characterization and applications. Contributions are welcome from all areas of natural zeolite research including, but not limited to: advanced techniques for characterizing the mineralogy, composition, and structures of natural zeolites, methods for beneficiation of zeolite ores, experimental and modeling studies of zeolite properties (ion exchange, surface behavior, sorption, molecular sieving), and the novel application of natural zeolites in industrial processes, agricultural applications, engineered and passive environmental protection and remediation, and consumer products. We envision a diverse session that highlights the breadth of research in zeolite applications, as broadly defined, and hope that the session will serve as a catalyst for interaction between geologists, soil scientists, and others involved in natural zeolite research.

Keynote speakers for the session are Randall Cygan (Sandia National Laboratory), Steve Kuznicki (University of Alberta), and Roberto Pabalan (Southwest Research Institute).

The deadline for submitting abstracts is 3 June 2008. The following hyperlink will take you to the submission form for the session:

http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2008AM/joint/papers/index.cgi?sessionid=21884

We are looking forward to this session and look forward to seeing many of you in Houston! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rob Bowman (bowman@ nmt.edu) or Phil Neuhoff (neuhoff @ufl.edu).