The term geoinspiration was coined by Ruiz-Hitzky to simply denote the wealth of motivation that materials scientists can borrow from the mineral world. Any plausible synthetic strategy affording the preparation of new synthetic materials which, by its own characteristics or by the chemical pathway involved in its synthesis, resemble but do not match materials found in nature, would fit into that concept. The idea parallels that of bioinspiration, and intends to highlight the richness of materials and preparation routes that the synthetic scientist can get by studying, copying and modifying natural materials and processes. My purpose here is to show that over the last half a century zeolite scientists have successfully used a geoinspired approach, avant la lettre, to produce a vast range of new materials with a high impact in the industry and in every day life. While the importance of zeolites as industrial catalysts, adsorbents, active phases for industrial gas separation and purification and detergent builders is easily recognized, other applications closer to the man in the street may pass unnoticed. Two examples are the use of zeolites in double-glazing panels to keep windows clear and transparent and, for some more importantly, its use as active component in the self-cooling beer barrels recently introduced in the Spanish market.

Paper based on a Plenary Conference, XXVI Anual Meeting, Sociedad Española de Mineralogía, Oviedo (Asturias), September 2006.

CICYT (projects BTE2003-05757-C02-02 and MAT2003-06003-C02-01)