Fluidization, bed expansion, pressure drop, and hydraulic characteristics of beds of natural zeolite particles have been studied for their potential application in the treatment of aqueous waste. The measurements in the bed of zeolite particles are compared with regular shaped glass beads. The bed of zeolite particles required to be fully fluidized before getting reproducible pressure measurements in the bed. This is attributed to their wider size distribution and resulting segregation. The mean size of the particles ranged from 550 to 900 mu m. Minimum fluidization velocity was determined from pressure measurements below the distributor and compared with values from pressure measurements inside the bed. Experiments conducted with slurry out the bed showed that it could be easily drained in expanded mode from the column through a small diameter opening near the bottom.