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Bentonite layers from an ancient deposit of weathered volcanic ash tuff in Wyoming Gray shale and bentonites (Benton Shale; Colorado Springs, Colorado). Bentonite (/ ˈ b ɛ n t ə n aɪ t / BEN-tə-nyte) [1] [2] is an absorbent swelling clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite (a type of smectite) which can either be Na-montmorillonite or Ca-montmorillonite.
Phoslock is the commercial name for a bentonite clay in which the sodium and/or calcium ions are exchanged for lanthanum. The lanthanum contained within Phoslock reacts with phosphate to form an inert mineral known as rhabdophane ( LaPO 4 ⋅ n H 2 O {\displaystyle {\ce {LaPO4.{\mathit {n}}H2O}}} ).
[36] [37] [38] It consists of pure clay, without any mixture of ingredients. [36] Bentonite clay is available worldwide as a digestive aid; kaolin is also widely used as a digestive aid and as the base for some medicines. Attapulgite, another type of clay, is an active ingredient in many anti-diarrheal medicines. [26]
The English name reflects the historical use of the material for fulling (cleaning and shrinking) wool, by textile workers known as fullers. [1] [2] [3] In past centuries, fullers kneaded fuller's earth and water into woollen cloth to absorb lanolin, oils, and other greasy impurities as part of the cloth finishing process.
Bentonite has been prescribed as a bulk laxative, and it is also used as a base for many dermatologic formulas. [30] Dermatologically, it is used as part of a treatment for pruritus. [31] Bentonite itself is not classified as a carcinogen, but some bentonite may contain variable amounts of respirable crystalline silica, a human carcinogen. [32]
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 purposes, two main classes of bentonite exist: sodium bentonite and calcium bentonite.