Bentonite Managing company
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BENTONITE NANO-SOLS - «BLUE BLOOD» OF MODERN RUSSIAN INDUSTRY

Technological progress in the production and use of natural nanomaterials is based on the improvement of methods for dispersing the ion-covalent structures, as well as the modification of their surface with adsorption layers of special surfactants. Layered aluminosilicates - bentonites, experiencing a real technological renaissance due to involvement in the active development of Russian deposits, are of particular importance among industrially important sedimentary rocks with well-developed structure.

Industrial application of bentonite powders is extremely diverse. They are used in the paper industry, in the manufacture of paints and coatings, for modifying the rheological properties, structuring and providing sedimentation stability of drilling fluids. Due to their catalytic and sorptive properties bentonites are used as carriers for pesticides, adsorbents for animal waste removal, catalysts or catalyst supports, as a brightener in the production of refined oils, and also in pharmacology.

Bentonite’s ability to self-organize to form technologically efficient nanoscale structures is determined by the content of rock-forming mineral montmorillonite (named after Montmorillon, a town in the Poitou-Charentes region, France) in its composition. The equivalent diameter of the particles of montmorillonite can vary from 0.1 micron to 2 microns and an average size is about 0.5 microns. The particles are irregularly shaped. They can have a compact package, but almost always are in laminated state and look like sheets of paper rotated in different directions relative to each other. On the side surfaces of the layered silicates functional groups are located, which are positively charged at low pH and negatively - at high pH of suspension.

A remarkable property of montmorillonite is its ability to split into the separate silicate layers or thin lamellae under the action of salts of lithium and sodium. This explains the phenomenon of sequential swelling and dispersion of bentonite in an aqueous medium to form a structured nano-sol. In a 10% aqueous solution bentonite forms a thixotropic nano-sol, in which the particles mobility is limited by interactions like lateral face – basal plane.

The ability to form nano-sol with high viscosity and structural strength demanded by the industry is inherent to bentonites with particular crystallographic structure characterized by the following features:

  • montmorillonite content - not less than 75%. This indicator cannot be improved by physical and chemical modification of bentonite raw material and is completely determined by natural features of the deposit;
  • presence of isomorphous substitution of aluminum cations within the crystal lattice for the «similar» sized magnesium or iron cations;
  • relatively high effective electrostatic charge of montmorillonite layer, so the nano-sol is resistant to coagulation;
  • no electrophoretic mobility of nano-sol particles at pH = 3.5 - 4.5. This feature provides a high aggregate stability of nano-sol in a technologically acceptable alkaline medium.

The quintessence of Russian bentonite industry is deposit Zyryanskoe (Kurgan region) owned by JSC «Bentonite», combining the highest quality of natural montmorillonite raw materials with advanced methods of bentopowders production. A multistage process of layer by layer excavating raw materials from the opencast mine, aging, drying, modification and fragmentation in its scientific content, complexity and aesthetics resembles the care of the grapevine. The «Kurgan vine» has gained international recognition for many years’ experience in the «cultivation» of deposit Zyryanskoe international: JSC «Bentonite» is the only Russian company licensed to issue bentopowders conforming to «API Specification 13A» OCMA grade (License number 13A-0070 to use the API monogram ).

Due to unique combination of high concentration of montmorillonite mineral base and point contact method of surface activation, allowing to realize the potential of the colloid-chemical raw materials, OCMA grade bentopowders have the following advantages:

  • structural-mechanical and rheological properties of the suspensions based on OCMA bentopowders outperforms the corresponding characteristics of most mud powders available on the market;
  • increased yield of clay mud from OCMA bentopowders achieves optimal technological system characteristics with a minimum specific consumption of the product, thereby its application leads to economic benefit;
  • the unprecedented speed of dispersion and peptization of OCMA bentopowders provides quick achievement of viscosity and structural characteristics of the suspension, which significantly reduces the time of process liquids preparation;
  • high kinetic stability of the nano-sols based on OCMA bentopowders allows to use them successfully as process liquids (drilling muds, grouting hydrogels, killing fluids, etc.), intended for the construction of oil and gas wells in the complicated conditions: drilling wells of large diameter in unstable rocks and permafrost; wells construction in the slots composed of salt deposits and active chemogenic rocks.

OCMA grade bentopowders don’t contain synthetic polymeric thickeners and electrolyte additive that makes the product completely environmentally safe, including using for pitless drilling in conservation areas. The enzyme slurry resulting from utilization of drilling muds based on OCMA bentopowders is suitable for cost-effective biological methods of disposal: bioremediation under the influence of native microflora in a local biogeocenosis.

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