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The 9th International Conference of the Federation of European Zeolite Societies FEZA 2023, entitled 'Porous Materials for a Green Future, will be held in Portorož from July 2-6, 2023. The conference is organised by the Slovenian, Croatian and Serbian zeolite societies under the umbrella of the Federation of European Zeolite Societies (FEZA) and will cover all aspects of science and technology related to porous materials - from zeolites and zeotypes to metal-organic porous materials (MOFs) and mesoporous materials.

With the flagship theme of 'Porous Materials for a Green Future, FEZA 2023 will address the latest environmental and energy solutions based on porous materials, consistent with advanced approaches to synthesis, characterization, modelling, data analysis, and testing for target applications. The flagship theme was chosen for good reason. A green future is something that Europe and the whole world are striving for. Greening our economy and our lives is not an alternative. It is entirely in line with the European Union's roadmap for a sustainable economy. And above all, it is an issue that requires a major commitment from the entire scientific community.

What are zeolites?

Zeolite minerals are known for ~270 years, industrially they are produced form 1950s. They are porous crystalline aluminosilicate materials traditionally used in large quantities as adsorbents (water softening) and heterogeneous catalysts (oil cracking, production of fine chemicals, etc.).

The term zeolite was originally coined in 1756 by Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, who observed that rapidly heating a material, believed to have been stilbite, produced large amounts of steam from water that had been adsorbed by the material. Based on this, he called the material zeolite, from the Greek ζέω (zéō), meaning "to boil" and λίθος (líthos), meaning "stone".

The research on zeolites has been strongly supported by industry, especially the petroleum industry, since the first discovery of synthetic zeolites. The importance of understanding their catalytic and adsorption properties stemmed from the desire to further optimise them and explore new industrial applications. For several decades, industry researchers have been the trendsetters in zeolite field researc (researchers from Exxon Mobile, Eni, BP, Total, Schell, etc.). Now, the companies are turning to green technologies, where zeolites and related porous solids again play a crucial role in technology development and transformations. 

Zeolites at National Institute of Chemistry

Zeolite catalysts research started at NIC (and in Slovenia) more than 40 years ago (Dr. Držaj in prof. Levec's group). 

Photo: Inside cover of the International Zeolite Symposium 1984, organised by the National Institute of Chemistry.

Photo: dr. Bojan Držaj (first from left) and dr. Stanko Hočevar (first from right).

In the early 1990s, Prof. Kaučič established a new group in which research was extended from zeolites to other porous materials, including porous aluminophosphates and mesoporous silicas, focusing on their synthesis and properties for catalytic applications.

_{Photo: Prof. Dr. Venčeslav Kaučič}

Over the past 15 years, the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, now headed by Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar, has also focused on new types of porous materials, including metal-organic porous materials, or MOFs. These materials are well suited for applications that address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Among the most important are energy storage, with a focus on sorptive thermal batteries, selective capture and utilisation of carbon dioxide, and water and air purification.

_{Photo: Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar}

The Slovenian Zeolite Society (SiZA) was founded in 2011 at the National Institute of Chemistry and is a full member of the Federation of European Zeolite Societies. SiZA, chaired by Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar, was established to bring together scientists working on zeolites and other porous materials from research institutions and industry.

Website of the FEZA Conference 2023: https://feza2023.org/en/default.asp