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Geology, Mineralogy, and Human Welfare
Pages 3348-3349

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From page 3348...
... Almost unknown to all but the zeolite chemists and engineers are everyday applications: the 3-fold increase in yield of gasoline from petroleum from tailored zeolite catalysts, also higher octane number and lower pollutants in automobile exhausts; clearer multi-pane windows from zeolite adsorbing dirty vapors; safer brakes in trucks and trains from pressure-swing zeolite adsorbent; longer life of refrigerators; and selective absorbents in nuclear waste. Just moving forward into major use are natural zeolites whose low cost and high exchange capacity are leading to bulk applications in agriculture, gardening, and waste management (18~.
From page 3349...
... To conclude, particularly important for this colloquium is that the boundaries between subdisciplines are falling; that humans are now moving as much material on the Earth's surface as geological processes; that natural climatic changes are being modified willy-nilly by human activities; and that the recent increase in population and use of energy is beginning to slow down as fundamental limits are approached, but they may not slow down fast enough. Doubling of the population might be sustainable, but quadrupling almost certainly would lead to serious problems and possible catastrophes.


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