|
|
|
Bentonite, Attapulgite and Sepiolite
Bentonite is an absorbent aluminium silicate clay formed from volcanic
ash that expands when wet. It can be in:
- Foundry and Steel:
bentonite is added to sand and water where it binds together silica
grains in foundry casting moulds and lends plasticity and thermal
stability.
- Construction and drilling:
thanks to its rheological properties, bentonite is useful in several
civil engineering applications such as cable laying, constructing
tunnels, foundations and walls and in drilling for oil, gas and water.
- Cat litter
- Paper: bentonite can
act as a colour developer in carbonless copying paper and can also
stabilise the hydrogen peroxide used to bleach paper.
- Food and drink:
bentonite clarifies the appearance and stabilises wine, fruit juice and
the flavour of the oil. It can be used to stabilise beer or to aid
palletising and absorb mycotoxins in animal feed.
- Environmental protection:
in the paper industry, bentonite can be used as a flocculent in the
purification of waste water. In landfills, ii is mixed with soil and
swells to form a barrier.
- Paints and coatings:
bentonite acts as a thickener and prevents pigment from a sediment. It
also prevent paint from running on vertical surfaces thanks its
thixotropic flow properties.
- Chemical industry: to
purify mineral oils or to remove olefins from aromatic compounds.
- Detergents: bentonite
can be used as carriers for photobleaching agents and as fixing agents
for non-ionic solutions in compact detergents.
- Other applications:
bentonite can be used as soil enhancers, in plastic fillers and
desiccants, in ceramic fillers,in cosmetics or to control the printing
ink viscosity.
Attapulgite, also known as palygorskite and as fuller’s earth
in the USA, is a complex hydrated magnesium aluminium silicate. It
forms microscopic needle-shaped crystals.
This white or grey silicate can be used in absorbents, as decolouriser,
as neutraliser, in paper coating, in drilling fluids or in animal feed.
Sepiolite is a rare lightweight clay with peculiar characteristics. The
main applications of this hydrous magnesium silicate include pet
litter, industrial absorbents, animal deed additives, carriers for
insecticides and herbicides, decolourising agents, saling drilling
muds, fillers and rheological additives.
Link:
-
MADKIM Maden San.ve Tic.Ltd.
- British Geological Survey, World Mineral
Statistics 1998-2002
- EUBA-The
European Bentonite Producers Association
Bentonite Production
Thousand Tonnes
| |
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008 |
| Europe |
|
|
|
|
|
| Armenia |
40.000
|
38.000
|
37.000
|
35.000
|
30.000 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina |
24.353
|
24.882
|
24.645
|
32.338
|
31.280 |
| Croatia |
671
|
1.472
|
1.200
|
1.270
|
1.200 |
| Cyprus |
155.717
|
172.366
|
150.620
|
154.655
|
155.125 |
| Czech Republic |
201.000
|
186.000
|
220.000
|
335.000
|
174.000 |
| Germany |
404.549
|
352.374
|
393.998
|
384.709
|
414.336 |
| Greece |
1.030.642
|
1.200.000
|
1.166.575
|
1.382.800
|
1.320.667 |
| Hungary |
9.300
|
4.900
|
6.635
|
54.000
|
7.464 |
| Italy |
437.659
|
445.573
|
469.654
|
599.735
|
600.000 |
| Macedonia |
16.373
|
14.958
|
20.353
|
22.509
|
13.689 |
| Poland |
2.400
|
2.200
|
4.000
|
1.290
|
3.000 |
| Romania |
18.161
|
18.190
|
14.600
|
14.713
|
14.604 |
| Russia (Europa) |
696.000
|
680.000
|
664.000
|
400.000
|
368.000 |
| Slovakia |
193.291
|
120.000
|
100.000
|
82.200
|
116.125 |
| Slovenia |
100
|
140
|
130
|
130
|
160 |
| Spain |
156.760
|
162.500
|
154.746
|
156.875
|
153.000 |
| Turkmenistan |
1.500
|
1.400
|
2.000
|
2.000
|
2.000 |
| United Kingdom |
27.540
|
6.200
|
0
|
0
|
0 |
| total |
3.416.016
|
3.431.155
|
3.430.156
|
3.659.224
|
3.404.650
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Africa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Algeria
|
30.319
|
29.029
|
27.110
|
32.600
|
30.595 |
|
Egypt
|
700
|
500
|
800
|
1.000
|
1.000 |
|
Morocco
|
85.400
|
64.350
|
21.100
|
137.100
|
50.125 |
|
South Africa
|
55.859
|
139.833
|
32.878
|
45.778
|
44.067 |
| total |
172.278
|
233.712
|
81.888
|
216.478
|
125.787
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Asia |
|
|
|
|
|
| India |
410.000
|
590.000
|
610.000
|
630.000
|
710.000 |
| Indonesia |
10.800
|
12.882
|
13.000
|
12.000
|
11.000 |
| Iran |
140.528
|
135.000
|
175.484
|
180.000
|
356.989 |
| Japan |
455.282
|
421.629
|
425.000
|
425.000
|
430.000 |
| Korea |
99.173
|
85.177
|
61.137
|
56.429
|
71.052 |
| Myanmar |
800
|
800
|
800
|
800
|
800 |
| Pakistan |
11.700
|
15.671
|
20.088
|
32.708
|
25.000 |
| Philippines |
3.556
|
3.526
|
3.500
|
1.148
|
1.427 |
| Russia (Asia) |
174.000
|
170.000
|
166.000
|
100.000
|
92.000 |
| Thailand |
1.350
|
32.500
|
1.200
|
650
|
210 |
| Turkey |
643.153
|
582.735
|
600.000
|
748.170
|
683.253 |
| total |
1.950.342
|
2.049.920
|
2.076.209
|
2.186.905
|
2.381.731
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| America |
|
|
|
|
|
| Argentina |
163.028
|
243.590
|
256.165
|
250.260
|
256.182 |
| Bolivia |
548
|
590
|
600
|
600
|
600 |
| Brazil |
175.000
|
220.000
|
235.481
|
238.746
|
240.000 |
| Chile |
101
|
0
|
0
|
533
|
0 |
| Colombia |
6.700
|
6.500
|
6.300
|
6.500
|
6.300 |
| Guatemala |
81.688
|
135.451
|
20.034
|
23.382
|
62.749 |
| Mexico |
564.015
|
425.630
|
435.273
|
613.895
|
374.933 |
| Nicaragua |
280
|
400
|
450
|
0
|
0 |
| Peru |
14.500
|
19.028
|
18.500
|
21.451
|
31.557 |
| USA |
4.620.000
|
4.430.000
|
4.940.000
|
4.820.000
|
4.870.000 |
| Uruguay |
122
|
195
|
515
|
530
|
515 |
|
total |
5.625.982
|
5.481.384
|
5.913.318
|
5.975.897
|
5.842.836
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Oceania |
|
|
|
|
|
| Australia |
264.038
|
227.533
|
125.600
|
107.200
|
80.400 |
| New Zeeland |
10.050
|
7.590
|
3.028
|
6.144
|
753 |
|
total |
274.088
|
235.123
|
128.628
|
113.344
|
81.153
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| WORLD
TOTAL |
17.339.776 |
17.147.801 |
11.630.199 |
12.151.848 |
11.836.157 |
|
|
|
