Bentonite

The mineral with a thousand uses

From binding to sealing, absorbing, and lubricating, bentonite's properties as a highly absorbent, viscous clay make it valuable in a huge variety of industries.

Composition

Composed predominantly of montmorillonite, a fine-particle hydrous aluminum silicate, bentonite is a soft, plastic clay that typically forms from the alteration of volcanic ash after intense contact with water.

Physical Properties

  • Strong colloidal properties: Forms stable, gel-like suspensions
  • Swelling: Expands significantly when absorbing water
  • Water absorption: High capacity for soaking up liquid
  • High viscosity: Creates thick, viscous fluids
  • High plasticity: Easily molded and shaped
  • Thixotropy: Gels at rest, but becomes fluid when stirred

Industries Served

Foundry Sand Casting Iron Ore Pellet Plants Civil Piling/Grouting Oil Well Drilling Water Well Drilling Electrical Earthing Ceramic Ware Paper Industry Animal Feed Cat Litter
Bentonite

Silica Sand

Also called quartz, white, or industrial sand, silica sand is made of two main elements: silicon and oxygen, which combine to form silicon dioxide (SiO2).

Composition

Silica Sand is often white or colorless, but its color can vary based on the other minerals and rock fragments in the sand. For a sand to be classified as silica sand, it needs to contain at least 98% SiO2 and no more than 0.04% iron oxide.

Applications

Industrial Abrasives: Silica sand is a common mineral abrasive for industrial blasting
Water Filtration: One of the most common uses for silica sand is in water filtration
Glassmaking: Silica sand is a primary ingredient in glass production
Paints & Coatings: Used as a filler, silica sand improves a paint's durability
Ceramics & Refractories: Silica is a key structural component in ceramics
Construction Materials: Core structural component in flooring, mortars, cement, and asphalt
Solar Panels: High-purity silica sand with low iron content is essential for solar applications
Silica Sand

Ball Clay

Ball clay is an exceptionally rare rock, found in a limited number of locations globally, but it is a critical base material in the manufacture of ceramics.

Composition

Formed from the weathering and water-based transportation of parent rocks, ball clay's composition can vary between seams within the same deposit. These fine-grained, highly plastic clays are a cornerstone of the ceramics industry.

Physical Properties

  • High plasticity: The clay can be easily molded and shaped without cracking
  • Excellent workability: It is easy to work with and manipulate during production
  • High unfired strength: The clay maintains its shape and strength before it is fired
  • Rheological stability: Its flow and deformation properties remain consistent
  • Controlled residue: It leaves a predictable and manageable amount of residue
  • Refractoriness: The clay can withstand extremely high temperatures without melting

Industries Served

Whiteware Manufacturing Sanitaryware Refractories Polymers Adhesives Sealants Horticulture Soil Amendments Ceramic Ware Insulators
Ball Clay

Laterite

Laterite is a rusty-red soil layer that forms in humid, tropical, and subtropical climates. It's the result of extensive weathering of various rocks, a process that involves high oxidation and leaching.

Composition

This intense weathering leads to a high concentration of iron oxide, which gives laterite its distinctive color and links it to the weathering of basalt.

Applications

Cement Manufacturing: Cement producers are key clients who use laterite in the manufacturing of cement
Paints & Coatings: Laterite is used in a wide range of paints, primers, powders, and coatings
Tiles & Ceramics: In the tiles and ceramics industry, laterite serves as a pigment for coloring tiles, flooring products, and pottery
Plastics & Rubber: Laterite is also used as a colorant in the plastics and rubber industries
Laterite

Kaolin

Kaolin, or kaolinite, is a soft, white clay mineral that is valued for its unique properties.

Composition

Its chemical inertness, adsorbency, and non-swelling capabilities make it an ideal material for a wide range of industrial applications, from ceramics and paints to cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.

Industries Served

Ceramics Paints Cosmetics Pharmaceuticals Agriculture Paper Industry
Kaolin

Mica

Mica is an ultra-platy mineral with a unique set of properties, including chemical resistance, resilience, and temperature stability, making it highly valuable.

Composition

This naturally occurring aluminum and potassium phyllosilicate forms in book-like structures that can be easily split into extremely thin, flexible, and transparent sheets.

Physical Properties

  • Gas and liquid barrier: Blocks the passage of gases and liquids
  • Chemical resistance: Withstands a wide range of chemicals
  • Thermal conductivity: Conducts heat efficiently
  • Heat stability: Stable at high temperatures
  • Passive fire retardancy: Naturally fire-resistant
  • Low coefficient of friction: Smooth, low-friction surface
  • Hydrophilic: Attracted to water
  • Flexible: Bends without breaking
  • Vibration damping: Reduces noise and vibration

Industries Served

Plastics Paints Ceramics Sound-damping Cosmetics Oil Well Drilling Paint Industry
Mica

Quartzite

Quartzite is a granoblastic metamorphic rock that forms from the recrystallization of sandstone or chert.

Composition

Consisting of more than 90% quartz, it can also contain accessory minerals like feldspar, micas, and detrital heavy minerals such as titanite, magnetite, zircon, and rutile.

Applications

Steel Plants (Blast Furnace): Essential component in steel production
Construction: Used in various construction applications
Decorative Stone: Pure quartzite is typically white to gray, but iron oxide can give it pink and red shades. Other impurities create yellow, green, blue, and orange hues
Quartzite

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