The main way Zeolite DWs are more efficient is basically a little heat energy shuffle.
The heat that is used to dry the mineral is used to heat the wash water.
There, the heat energy pulls double duty: heating the mineral to make it ready for drying AND heating the wash water.
That's why, for about 10-15min each cycle during a wash period, the fan comes on, together with the heater in the Zeolite container.
If the DW would have to do that regeneration of the mineral on its own and could not "reuse" the heat it needed for that, it would use more energy in total than other drying methods.
The Zeolite then allows for much lower final rinse temps.
Eco cycles target about 35C (or below 100F) for the final rinse here, or about 50C (120F) for normal cycles.
If you select certain options (VarioSpeed, Shine&Dry, Intensive Dry, Hygiene+/Sanitize) the final rinse temp gets raised accordingly, negating any energy savings, but boosting dry performance.
Typical temp targets are 65C (150F) for Eco cycles without Zeolite, 69C (just shy of 160F) for "normal" drying and 72C (something like 165F) for Hygiene+ IIRC.