- Bentonite is an
absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate generally impure clay consisting
mostly of montmorillonite, (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg) 2Si4O10(OH)2·(H2O)n. Two
types exist: swelling bentonite which is also called sodium bentonite
and non-swelling bentonite or calcium bentonite. It forms from
weathering of volcanic ash, most often in the presence of water.
- Bentonite can be used
in cement, adhesives, ceramic bodies, cosmetics and cat litter. Fuller's
earth, an ancient dry cleaning substance, is finely ground bentonite,
typically used for purifying transformer oil. Bentonite, in small
percentages, is used as an ingredient in commercially designed clay
bodies and ceramic glazes. Bentonite clay is also used in pyrotechnics
to make end plugs and rocket nozzles, and can also be used as a
therapeutic face pack for the treatment of acne/oily skin.
- Bentonite is employed
by industry to perform a multitude of jobs. Most industrial applications
involve the swelling property of bentonite to form viscous water
suspensions. Depending upon the relative proportions of clay and water,
these mixtures are used as bonding, plasticizing, and suspending agents.
Bentonites react chemically with many organic materials to form
compounds which are used chiefly as gelling agents in a variety of
organic liquids.
- The USA, China and Greece
account for about 53% of world production, whilst Western Europe
accounts for 27 percent. The principal world markets for bentonite are
in foundry, oil drilling and cat litter uses. Major exporting countries,
in descending order of volume, are Greece, USA, Italy, the Netherlands
and China, accounting for about 65% of world bentonite exports.
- During the last few
years the global demand in volume terms has grown at a rate of about 3%,
per year. Exported bentonite is mainly used in iron ore pelletizing
(36%), in foundries (33%), in civil engineering and environmental
applications (21%), in drilling (6%) and as pet litter material
(4%).
- The major bentonite
producer worldwide is the United States of America (ca 2 mil.
tons/year), which produces bentonites of the highest quality worldwide,
and also possesses considerable reserves of natural Na-bentonites. Other
significant bentonite producers are the states of the former Soviet
Union (around 1.7 mil. tons/year), probably China (estimated production
of around 1.5 mil. tons/year), the German Federal Republic (800 kt/year),
Greece (600 kt/year), Japan (570 kt/yer), followed by Italy, Spain,
India, Turkey and other countries
- The Czech Republic
extracts around 70 kt of bentonite per year, which amounts approximately
to 0.75 % of the world bentonite production. Among bentonite producers
in the Czech Republic, there are Keramost, a. s. (the biggest Czech
producer of bentonites), Calofrig Borovany, a. s., Sedlecky kaolin, a.
s. and others. Numerous unexploited deposits are managed by Geofond,
Czech Republic.
- Although there are 16
operating bentonite mines in Japan as of 2005, there are less than ten
places where mines operate year-round. The largest bentonite production
area is the Yamagata-Miyagi region; the production reaches nearly one
half of the total bentonite production. Next is the Gunma-Niigata
region. The bentonite mines in the Shimane region are generally small
scale.
- During the last few
years the global demand in volume terms has grown at a rate of about 3%,
per year. Exported bentonite is mainly used in iron ore pelletizing
(36%), in foundries (33%), in civil engineering and environmental
applications (21%), in drilling (6%) and as pet litter material (4%).
- Bentonite consumption for civil engineering and environmental
applications shows a significant increase over the last few years, in
view of the growing social awareness for environmental protection and
rehabilitation.
- The major raw materials required for the
production of bentonite are raw ore (raw bentonite), sulfuric acid (98%)
and calcium oxide
- The major utilities required for the operation
of the plant are electricity, water, steam and LPG (liquefied petroleum
gas).
- The production process of Bentonite
essentially involves the following operations. The crude clay is mixed
with water to form a suspension to which sulfuric acid is added. The
mixture is then heated by steam in a mixing tank up to a temperature of
40oc and kept at this temperature for about 4 hours. Then the mixture is
heated to 180oc for one hour. After cooling the suspension is filtered
through a filter press and washed in order to eliminate excess acidity.
The cake of the activated earth is then dried through a pneumatic
conveyor by hot air (700oc). The product is collected in a depot and
then packed
- To establish a plant for the production of 300
tons of Bentonite processing plant, total investment required is
estimated to be around 1.5 million USD
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General Information
- Fuller's Earth
Occurrence and Composition
- What is
Bentonite?
- Bentonite
- Bentonite Chemical
Analysis
- Toolbox talk
Properties
- Effect of Amendments on
Chemical Properties of Bentonite Mine Spoil
- Structure &
Properties of Bentonite
- Rheological Properties
of Bentonite Suspensions
- Bentonite Slurry
Specifications
- Determination of
Swelling Index of Bentonite
- Behaviour of
humic-bentonite aggregates
- Rheology and structure
of aqueous bentonite
- Absorption of the
Quaternanry Ammonium Salts on Bentonite
- Characterization of
bentonite
- Effect of Amendments on
Chemical Properties of Bentonite Mine Spoil
- Sealing Properties of
Bentonite Suspensions
- Absorption Properties
of Zeolite and Bentonite Applied to Pig Slurry
- Synthesis and
characterization of
organic bentonite
MSDS
- Safety Data Sheet -
Fuller's Earth
- Hydrobond
- Bentonite Hydrogel -
MSDS
- National Standard
Bentonite
- Bara - Kade Standard -
Soil Sealing Grade
- National Standard
Bentonite - PG
- Vitiben Fine
- Agri - Flex
- Bondtone - Organophilic
Clay powder
- National Standard
Bentonite - Foundry Grade
- Natural Bentonite
Gel
Technology
- AquaBlok® Composite
Particle Technology
- Cement-Bentonite Grout
Backfill for Borehole Instruments
- Heavy load emplacement
technology
- Cement Bentonite Thin
Diaphragm Wall
- Mixshield
Technology
- Advanced Waterproofing
Technology
- New On-site Wet Milling
Technology
Processing
- Composting of bentonite
wastes
- Clay Processing
- Drying bentonite in a
rotary kiln
- Immobilization of
industrial waste in cement–bentonite clay matrix
- Bentonite
Waterproofing
Production
- Bentonite production worldwide
- Bentonite Mining
Initiatives
- Bentonite
Production
- Fuller's Earth
Production
- Production tax rates
imposed on bentonite production
Company Profiles and
Plant Details
- Amcol Paper
Technology
- Amrfeo Pte. Ltd
- BPM Minerals LLC
- Wyo - Ben Inc.,
- Industry Links
- Lovchand
Amarchand
- MMTC
- Montana Bentonite, LLC
- AMCOL
International Corporation
- Black Hills Bentonite
- S&B Industrial Minerals acquires bentonite processing
plant in Germany
Market and its
Future
- Mineral Status and
Future Opportunity
- Fuller's Earth
Demand
- Industrial Clays Case
Study
- Mineral Resource
- The Economic Importance
of Mineral Production
- Bentonite in Japan
–Geology and Industries–
- Investment
Opportunities
- S&B Industrial
Minerals
- Market Study of
Bentonite Products
|
Patents
- Process for
Beneficiating Bentonite
- Process for
Manufacturing Bentonite - Containing Particulate Fabric Softening
Detergent Composition
- Compacted
bentonite-based absorbents
- Drill hole plugging
method utilizing sodium bentonite nodules
- Liquid slurry of
bentonite
- Process for
Manufacturing Bentonite Agglomerates
- Modified
Bentonite
- Process for Producting
Bentonite Clays Exhibiting Enhanced Solution Viscosity Properties
Applications and its
Benefits
- Industrial Applications
of Bentonite
- Bentonite Uses
- Bentonite - Manifold
Uses
- A fascinating natural
substance and its application in beverage treatment
- End Use
Statistics
- Bentonite In
Construction
- Tunnel Manufacturing
- Proposed Uses of Cement
and Bentonite in Repositories
- Oversized Predrilled
Pile Holes and Bentonite Grout for Reduction of Pile Downdrag
- Potential of Malaysian
Local Bentonite Applications in an Oil - Well Cement Industry
- Bentonite for Wine
Clarification
- Bentonite Benefits in
Paper Applications
- Bentonite
Benefits
Projects
- Project Profile - sample
- Bentonite Processing Plants Supplier
- USA Equipment
- Automation software
- Bentonite Barriers in
Integrated Performance Assessment - BENIPA Project
- Mantuan Downs Bentonite
Project
- Bentonite barriers in integrated performance
assessment
- FP5
Project Record
- Mixing Soil &
Bentonite
- Nigerian
Bentonite
Suppliers
- Bentonite
Suppliers
- Bentonite
Directory
- Bentonite Suppliers
Directory
-
- Industries
- Bentonite Manufacturers
& Suppliers
Buyers
- Bentonite Buy
Offers
- Foreign
Importers & Buyers
- Indian
Importers & Buyers
- Bentonite Buyers List
1
- Bentonite Buyers List
2
Consultants
- Aqua Sierra,
Inc.
- CCS Energy
& Environment
- Experts in
bentonite
- George C. Hawley &
Associates
- Peter W. Harben
Inc.
- RJH Consultants,
Inc
- Aust – Asia Consultancy
Services
- Texas Sodium Bentonite,
Inc.
Reports
- EXITO’s Report
- Skin & eye
irritation studies performed on bentonite
- Cement Bentonite Slurry
Trench Guide Specifications
- Studies of bentonite
and red soils as capping of the uranium mill tailing impoundments
- Physico-chemical
characterisation and geochemical modelling
- Bentonite, Pyrophyllite
and Talc in the Republic of South Africa
- Bentonite Treatment For
Economical Dust Reduction
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