Ash Meadows Zeolite

The primary market for St. Cloud’s zeolites is animal feeds, particularly for cattle, with products for swine and poultry currently being explored. Our high calcium Winston Zeolite is unique among U.S. producers and is classified by the FDA as a GRAS (“Generally Regarded as Safe”) product. Feed lots and other large concentrations of animals are point sources of a number of effluents, odors, and waste runoff. As such, there is increasing regulatory pressure to mitigate the impact of these facilities.

As suburban residential sprawl extends into areas that were previously agricultural lands, Winston Zeolite is increasingly used in to control odor from feedlots, dairies, and other agricultural operations. Because of its natural affinity for ammonia, Winston Zeolite reduces and retains fecal and urine generated ammonia preventing its release into the environment, thus improving air quality and reducing respiratory and other performance inhibiting ailments – making it excellent for use in livestock bedding. Municipal landfills and composting operations throughout the U.S. also use Winston Zeolite to mitigate odors from their facilities.

Winston Zeolite is used extensively in water filtration. Pretreatment of reverse osmosis systems for potable water and treatment of saline or sodic waters will increase as wastewater recycling and conservation are mandated. Demand for the filtration and treatment of municipal water supplies from both surface and well waters also continues to grow. Winston Zeolite is both NSF 61 and WQA (Water Quality Association) certified. Additionally, ammonia is a major regulatory issue in many mining and industrial operations – which Winston Zeolite can be used to treat. Testing on mine waters in West Virginia showed that Winston Zeolite is effective in remediating acid mine drainage, as well as reducing aluminum and manganese to acceptable levels both pre and post treatment.

Clinoptilolite-based ion exchange products are used to remove radioactive isotopes in nuclear reactor effluent. The mineral has been used extensively in the construction of impermeable waste barriers, to prevent the incursion of radioactive contamination into ground and surface water. Water Remediation Technology, LLC (WRT) has over 100 systems that include Ash Meadows Zeolite throughout the U.S. WRT uses a modified, NSF 61 certified Ash Meadows Zeolite to remove radium, uranium, and other contaminants from municipal water treatment systems, and is exploring the increasing problem of trace radioactive contaminants in frac and waste water from the production of natural gas and oil.

Synthetic Turf is a growing market for St. Cloud, with Ash Meadows Zeolite often used to control odor in sports turfs and kennels. In addition, the application of Ash Meadows Zeolite can help control and disperse the heat buildup in sports turfs by absorbing water, which allows it to act as a heat sink for the radiant energy from the sun.

Zeolite pozzolans can be added to cement to improve its physical properties and reduce the amount of limestone used and carbon dioxide emitted. If the EPA designates fly ash from coal-fired power plants as a hazardous waste, it may no longer be available for use as a pozzolan. Ash Meadows Zeolite is a cost effective solution. Our product is highly crystalline, has excellent cation exchange capacity, and meets ASTM C618-15 specification for coal fly ash and raw/calcined natural pozzolan for use in concrete – making Ash Meadows Zeolite well suited for a number of cementitious products.