Special clays: : Gelling new markets

• Autores: Industrial Minerals
• Localización: Industrial Minerals, ISSN 0019-8544, Nº. 594, 2017 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Junio)
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Hectorite has attracted significant attention in the last few years as a potential source of lithium, while clays like attapulgite and sepiolite have for decades been important sources of speciality material. Ian Wilson, Consultant*, offers a snapshot of the special clays sector.

    Special clays are a group of products derived from a number of different clay minerals found in a wide range of geological environments.

    Two important mineral groups within the special clays field are the smectite group, which includes montmorillonite, saponite and hectorite, generally referred to as bentonites; and the hormite group, which includes palygorskite - more commonly known as attapulgite - and sepiolite.

    The smectite group The smectite group of minerals covers a diverse range of crystal structure, morphology and chemistry.

    Bentonite, one of the smectite minerals, is named after Fort Benton in the US and is composed mainly of montmorillonite and other minerals which, depending on the origin of the deposit, can be clays, clastic material from volcanic dusts or other materials.

    Figure 1 outlines bentonite nomenclature and shows the relationship between some smectite minerals, with respect to their structure, chemistry and morphology.

    Figure 1: Bentonite nomenclature (smectite group)White bentonit