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Bentonite Montmorillonite Clay Powder
Bentonite Montmorillonite Clay Powder
Bentonite Montmorillonite Clay Powder
Bentonite Synonyms:
bentonite clay, taylorite, southern bentonite, fuller's earth, wyoming sodium bentonite, sodium montmorillonite, calcium montmorillonite,
saponite, montmorillonite (Na), montmorillonite (Ca), hectorite, hormite clay bentonite magma, tixoton, volclay, volclay bentonite BC,
wilkinite, CAS# 1302-78-9,
Bentonite Designations:
Chemical Formula: Al2O34SiO2H2O
Chemical Name: Naturally occurring hydrated aluminum silicate
Bentonite Description:
a) A rock composed essentially of a crystalline clay-like mineral formed by devitrification and the accompanying chemical alteration of a
glassy igneous material, usually a tuff or volcanic ash.
b) Smectite refers to a family of non-metallic clays primarily composed of hydrated sodium calcium aluminum silicate. Common names for
smectite include montmorillonite or sodium montmorillonite ("sodium bentonite" or "Wyoming bentonite") and swelling bentonite ("Western
bentonite").
c) There are three types of bentonite:
1) Natural Calcium Bentonite or Calcium Montmorillonite
2) Natural Sodium Bentonite or Sodium Montmorillonite
3) Sodium Activated Bentonites or Sodium Activated Montmorillonites
d) Bentonite minerals occur as lenses or seams containing up to 50% moisture. They are rocklike in nature and usually extracted by
opencast mining (quarrying).
e) Natural sodium bentonite as the name suggests occurs with sodium as the predominant exchange cation. The name originates from its
discovery near Fort Benton, USA. Sodium bentonites are characterized by high swelling,
high liquid limit and high thermal durability.
f) The vast majority of the montmorillonites occurring in abundance world wide are of the calcium type and referred to as calcium
bentonites. The name montmorillonite originates from a discovery made at Montmorillon in France. Calcium bentonites are often
characterized by much lower swelling and liquid limit values compared to natural sodium bentonite.
g) Sodium activated bentonites are produced by the substitution of calcium ions by sodium ions. This transformation can be achieved by
the addition of a soluble sodium salt to calcium bentonite.
47.5
37 to 56
Specific Gravity
2.6
Appearance
0.09 to 1.8
RTECS Number
CT9450000
Solubility In Water
none
pH
8.5 to 10.5
Nominal Color
light cream