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Bentonite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bentonite is an absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate,

generally impure clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite.
There are different types of bentonites and their names
depend on the dominant elements, such as potassium (K),
sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), and aluminum (Al). As noted in
several places in the geologic literature, there are some
nomenclatorial problems with the classification of bentonite
clays. Bentonite usually forms from weathering of volcanic
ash, most often in the presence of water. However, the term
bentonite, as well as a similar clay called tonstein, have
been used for clay beds of uncertain origin. For industrial Bentonite - USGS
purposes, two main classes of bentonite exist: sodium and
calcium bentonite. In stratigraphy and tephrochronology, completely devitrified (weathered volcanic
glass) ash-fall beds are commonly referred to as K-bentonites when the dominant clay species is illite.
Other common clay species, and sometimes dominant, are montmorillonite and kaolinite. Kaolinite
dominated clays are commonly referred to as tonsteins and are typically associated with coal.

Contents
„ 1 Sodium bentonite
„ 2 Calcium bentonite
„ 3 Potassium bentonite
„ 4 Uses
„ 4.1 Bentonite clay in Thai farming

„ 5 History and natural occurrence

„ 6 See also
„ 7 References
„ 8 External links
„ 9 Further reading

Sodium bentonite
Sodium bentonite expands when wet, possibly absorbing several times its dry mass in water. Because of
its excellent colloidal properties (see Odom ref below) it is often used in drilling mud for oil and gas
wells and for geotechnical and environmental investigations.

The property of swelling also makes sodium bentonite useful as a sealant, especially for the sealing of
subsurface disposal systems for spent nuclear fuel [1]
(http://www.skb.se/templates/SKBPage____8806.aspx) [2]
(http://www.tdx.cesca.es/TESIS_UPC/AVAILABLE/TDX-0412105-095450/) and for quarantining
metal pollutants of groundwater. Similar uses include making slurry walls, waterproofing of below-
grade walls and forming other impermeable barriers: e.g., to seal off the annulus of a water well, to plug
old wells, or as a liner in the base of landfills to prevent migration of leachate.

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Sodium bentonite can also be "sandwiched" between synthetic materials to create geo-synthetic clay
liners (GCL) for the aforementioned purposes. This technique allows for more convenient transport and
installation and it greatly reduces the volume of sodium bentonite required.

Various surface modifications to sodium bentonite improve some rheological or sealing performance in
geoenviromental applications, for example the addition of polymers [1].

Calcium bentonite
Calcium bentonite is a useful adsorbent of ions in solution.[2][3] as well as fats and oils, being a main
active ingredient of fuller's earth, probably one of the earliest industrial cleaning agents.[4] Calcium
bentonite may be converted to sodium bentonite (termed sodium beneficiation or sodium activation) to
exhibit many of sodium bentonite's properties by a process known as "ion exchange" (patented in 1935
by Germans U Hofmann and K Endell). Commonly this means adding 5-10% of a soluble sodium salt
such as sodium carbonate to wet bentonite, mixing well, and allowing time for the ion exchange to take
place and water to remove the exchanged calcium.[citation needed] Some properties, such as viscosity and
fluid loss of suspensions, of sodium beneficiated calcium bentonite (or sodium activated bentonite) may
not be fully equivalent to natural sodium bentonite.[5] For example, residual calcium carbonates (formed
if exchanged cations are insufficiently removed) may result in inferior performance of the bentonite in
geosynthetic liners[6]

Potassium bentonite
Also known as potash bentonite or K-bentonite, potassium bentonite is a potassium rich illitic clay
formed from alteration of volcanic ash.[7]

Uses
Much of bentonite's usefulness in the drilling and geotechnical engineering industry comes from its
unique rheological properties. Relatively small quantities of bentonite suspended in water form a
viscous, shear thinning material. Most often, bentonite suspensions are also thixotropic, although rare
cases of rheopectic behavior have also been reported. At high enough concentrations (~60 grams of
bentonite per litre of suspension), bentonite suspensions begin to take on the characteristics of a gel (a
fluid with a minimum yield strength required to make it move). For these reasons it is a common
component of drilling mud used to curtail drilling fluid invasion by its propensity for aiding in the
formation of mud cake.

Bentonite can be used in cement, adhesives, ceramic bodies, and cat litter. Bentonite is also used as a
binding agent in the manufacture of taconite pellets as used in the steelmaking industry. 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 engine nozzles.

The ionic surface of bentonite has a useful property in making a sticky coating on sand grains. When a
small proportion of finely ground bentonite clay is added to hard sand and wetted, the clay binds the
sand particles into a moldable aggregate known as green sand used for making molds in sand casting.
Some river deltas naturally deposit just such a blend of such clay silt and sand, creating a natural source

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of excellent molding sand that was critical to ancient metalworking technology. Modern chemical
processes to modify the ionic surface of bentonite greatly intensify this stickiness, resulting in
remarkably dough-like yet strong casting sand mixes that stand up to molten metal temperatures.

The same effluvial deposition of bentonite clay onto beaches accounts for the variety of plasticity of
sand from place to place for building sand castles. Beach sand consisting of only silica and shell grains
does not mold well compared to grains coated with bentonite clay. This is why some beaches are much
better for building sand castles than others.

The self-stickiness of bentonite allows high-pressure ramming or pressing of the clay in molds to
produce hard, refractory shapes, such as model rocket nozzles. Indeed, to test whether a particular brand
of cat litter is bentonite, simply ram a sample with a hammer into a sturdy tube with a close-fitting rod;
bentonite will form a very hard, consolidated plug that is not easily crumbled.

Bentonite also has the interesting property of adsorbing relatively large amounts of protein molecules
from aqueous solutions. It is therefore uniquely useful in the process of winemaking, where it is used to
remove excessive amounts of protein from white wines. Were it not for this use of bentonite, many or
most white wines would precipitate undesirable flocculent clouds or hazes upon exposure to warmer
temperatures, as these proteins denature. It also has the incidental use of inducing more rapid
clarification of both red and white wines.

Bentonite has been prescribed as a bulk laxative, and it is also used as a base for many dermatologic
formulas.[8]

Bentonite clay in Thai farming

Application of bentonite clay technology made a big contribution to rejuvenating degraded soils in NE
Thailand, which both improved yields and farmer incomes.

Over the past 40 years, Northeast Thailand has undergone significant changes in land use. Farming
systems moved from being subsistence–based to commercially-based, typically characterized by paddy
rice production in the lowlands and sugarcane/cassava production in the uplands. However, the
intensification of these production systems degraded soil chemical properties that are best described as
nutrient/resource mining operations.[9] As a consequence of these changes, productivity and production
systems declined, as soils became depleted of their nutrients and water-retaining properties.

The application of clay technology by farmers in Northeast Thailand, using bentonite clay, has
dramatically reversed soil degradation and resulted in greater economic returns, with higher yields and
higher output prices. Studies carried out by The International Water Management Institute and partners
in 2002-2003 focused on the application of locally sourced bentonite clays to degraded soils in the
region. These applications were carried out in structured field trials. Results from these studies showed
that applying bentonite clays effectively improved yields of forage sorghum grown under rain-fed
conditions.

Cumulative dry matter production over a two year period ranged from 0.22 tons per hectare under
control treatment applying normal fertilizer only, to 23 tons per hectare using an application of 50 tons
per hectare of bentonite. Yields rose to 36 tons per hectare when a combination of 50 tons per hectare of
bentonite and 10 tons per hectare of leaf litter was applied. These and several other studies conclusively
demonstrated that introducing clay-based materials such as bentonite and termite-mound materials
significantly and persistently improve the productivity of degraded, light–textured soils.[9][10]

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Three years after the conclusion of this project, a survey was carried out on 250 farmers, equally split
between those farmers who had adopted clay-based approaches versus those who had not. The purpose
was to assess the economic effects of the project. Using different methods, an economic assessment was
carried out. Although the responses were essentially agronomic effects, they also tended to cause major
changes in farm economies, especially concerning the type and composition of different farm supplies
and enhancing marketability. Variations in the quantity and composition of these yield-increasing
supplies explain differing productivity levels and the return on investment of farms which used clay
applications versus the farms that did not.

Apart from its role of changing the nature and composition of farm supplies, bentonite application also
influenced the prices that farmers received for their crops. The average output price for farmers using
clay technologies was 18% higher than that for non-clay users; this suggests that either clay-using
farmers go for high value crops (as in vegetable farms), or they receive a higher price for their produce,
due to better quality (e.g. from organic rice and integrated farms). Production costs are obviously higher,
but due to more production and the quality of the food, clay farmers could afford to invest and grow
more and better food, compared to non clay-using farmers. For example, the average per-hectare cost of
clay-using farms was 57% higher than that for non-users, but the per-hectare gross revenue of farms
using bentonite clay technologies was twice that of non-clay-using farms. Since the net values of the
treated and control groups were compared, clay application led to a net benefit of about 120%. [11][12]

History and natural occurrence

In 2005, U.S. was the top producer of
bentonite with almost one-third world share
followed by China and Greece, reports the
British Geological Survey.

The absorbent clay was given the name

bentonite by Wilbur C. Knight in 1898—
after the Cretaceous Benton Shale near Rock
River, Wyoming.[13] Other modern
discoveries include montmorillonite
discovered in 1847 in Montmorillon in the Bentonite output in 2005. Click the image for the details.
Vienne prefecture of France, in Poitou-
Charentes, South of the Loire Valley.

Most high-grade natural sodium bentonite is produced from the western United States in an area
between the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. Mixed sodium/calcium
bentonite is mined in Greece, Australia, India, Russia and the Ukraine. In the United States, calcium
bentonite is primarily mined in Mississippi and Alabama. Other major locations producing calcium
bentonite include Germany, Greece, Turkey, India and China.

It should be noted that in some countries like the UK and US, calcium bentonite is known as fuller's
earth, a term which is also used to refer to attapulgite, a mineralogically distinct clay mineral but
exhibiting similar properties.

See also
„ Illite

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„ Medicinal clay

References
1. ^ Theng, B.K.G. 1979. Formation and Properties of Clay Polymer Complexes. Developments in
Soil Science 9. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 362pp
2. ^ Lagaly G., 1995. Surface and interlayer reactions: bentonites as adsorbents. P 137-144
3. ^ In Churchman, G.J., Fitzpatrick, R.W., Eggleton R.A. Clays Controlling the Environment.
Proceedings of the 10th International Clay Conference, Adelaide, Australia. CSIRO Publishing,
Melbourne
4. ^ R.H.S, Robertson, 1986. Fuller's Earth. A History of calcium montmorillonite. Volturna, Press,
U.K.
5. ^ Odom, I.E., 1984. Smectite clay minerals: properties and uses. Philosophical Transactions
Royal Society, London, A., 311, 391-409.
6. ^ Guyonnet, D., Gaucher, E., Gaboriau, H., Pons C.-H., Clinard, C., Norotte, V. Didier, G. 2005.
Geosynthetic clay liner interactions with leachate: correlation between permeability,
microstructure and surface chemistry. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 131, page740-
749.
7. ^ Potassium bentonite (http://www.answers.com/topic/potassium-bentonite). McGraw-Hill
Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Retrieved June 12, 2008. Answers.com
8. ^ Bentonite (http://food.oregonstate.edu/glossary/b/bentonite.html) from oregonstate.edu website
9. ^ a b Noble, A. D., Ruaysoongnern, S., Penning de Vries, F. W. T., Hartmann, C. and Webb, M. J.
2004. Enhancing the agronomic productivity of degraded soils in North-east Thailand through
clay-based interventions. In Seng, V., E. Craswell, S. Fukai, and K. Fischer, eds., Water and
Agriculture, Proceedings No. 116, ACIAR, Canberra, pp. 147-160.
10. ^ Suzuki, S., Noble, A.D., Ruaysoongnern, S. and Chinabut, N. 2007. Improvement in water-
holding capacity and structural stability of a sandy soil in Northeast Thailand. Arid Land Research
and Management, 21:37-49.
11. ^ Saleth, R.M., Inocencio, A., Noble, A.D., and Ruaysoongnern, S. 2009. Improving Soil Fertility
and Water Holding Capacity with Clay Application: The Impact of Soil Remediation Research in
Northeast Thailand. IWMI Research Report (in Review).
12. ^ Noble, A. D., Gillman, G. P., Nath, S., and Srivastava, R. J. 2001. Changes in the surface charge
characteristics of degraded soils in the tropics through the addition of beneficiated bentonite.
Australian Journal of Soil Research, 39: 991-1001.
13. ^ http://www.wsgs.uwyo.edu/Topics/IndustrialMinerals/bentonite.aspx Bentonite, Wyoming
Geological Survey

External links
„ International Chemical Safety Card 0384
(http://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0384.htm)

Further reading
„ Brady, G.S., Clauser, H.R., & Vaccari, J.A. (2002). Materials handbook. (15th ed.) New York:
McGraw-Hill.
„ Hosterman, J.W. and S.H. Patterson. (1992). Bentonite and Fuller's earth resources of the United
States [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1522]. Washington, D.C.: United States
Government Printing Office.

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„ Milne, G.W.A. (Ed.). (2005). Gardner's commercially important chemicals: Synonyms, trade
names, and properties. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Interscience.
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Categories: Phyllosilicates | Aluminium minerals | Calcium minerals | Sodium minerals | Medicinal clay

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