So, what is sodium bentonite? In simple words, sodium bentonite is a mineral clay with a high water absorption capacity and a high swelling rate that make it a versatile sealant for a wide range of applications. Sodium bentonite is an effective pond sealant, an anti-odor agent for cat litter, a cleansing agent in wastewater treatment and a bonding agent in foundry sand.

Sodium bentonite has been called the “mineral of a thousand uses”. It is widely used as a drilling mud additive for the oil and gas industries, for pelletizing iron ore, as a sealer for irrigation ditches, wells, sewage lagoons and landfills and in many other industries we will mention in this article.

For a pond to be able to hold water, it has to have a high-clay soil composition. As a matter of fact, this condition is rarely met in ponds and lakes. The best solution for this issue is to add sodium bentonite as a pond liner, to increase the clay composition of the soil and favor the creation of a watertight seal at the bottom of the pond. When the pond has already been lined and the leaks are localized to a specific area, the bentonite pond sealer is applied to the specific area in order to create the waterproof seal.

The answer to the question “what is sodium bentonite?” can be crucial to decide if it is the right material for your application. Read below to learn more about sodium bentonite and its uses and applications.

One of the most widely known applications of bentonite is as a pond sealer. While we tend to call it “pond sealer” in reality it serves as a sealer for any structure that needs to keep water either in or out. It is used for sewage lagoons and landfills, to ensure the contaminants are kept inside of the designated areas.

Sodium Bentonite is so effective that some state governments have made it a requirement for water treatment plants to keep the incoming wastewater in sodium bentonite sealed tanks and ponds, to prevent any leaks to the underground and surrounding areas. It is used for well plugging, ensuring the well doesn’t open up again. When asking what is sodium bentonite, they are told this natural clay is so safe it can be used as a pond liner for farm ponds, wildlife ponds, fish ponds, ranch ponds, artificial lakes and natural swimming pools. When a body of water has a localized leak, sodium bentonite can be applied to the affected area, being an effective sealant in embankments or dam areas.

The capacity to rapidly absorb water makes sodium bentonite a key ingredient for cat litter. What is sodium bentonite? Your best feline sanitary ally, as it creates clumps of litter that are easy to collect and discard.

What is sodium bentonite in wastewater treatment? Sodium bentonite is mainly used in biofiltration as an agent that can help remove more than 90% of unwanted liquids and suspended solids. Sodium Bentonite is highly efficient for manufacturer’s plants of corrugated cardboard, inks, laundries, mechanical shops, farms, food and beverage processing plants, among others.

What is sodium bentonite in the oil and gas industry? Sodium bentonite is an efficient viscosifier for drilling mud, necessary for the drilling of gas and oil wells, as well as deepwater wells and horizontal directional drilling (HDD). Sodium bentonite acts as a viscosifier, leading to lower filtration in freshwater drilling fluids, easing the hole cleaning process and helping stabilize poorly blended areas.

Looking for the answer to “what is sodium bentonite”, we ran into the Wyoming Bentonite Summary Report 2014 from the Wyoming State Geological Survey. According to this report “today, bentonite is also used in petroleum and cement products, ceramics, refractory materials, paper, cosmetics, water softeners, sealing agents, paints, medical emulsions, and roofing”.

Bentonite has several advantages over other pond liners and sealers. As a natural clay, it won’t affect the ecology of your pond. It will hold under the heavyweight of cattle and other livestock and it is ideal for outlet, dam and embankments limits. Bentonite clay is a low cost material and the investment, when used as a pond liner, is similar to other lining materials in the market. However, sodium bentonite holds the upper hand in the long term, as maintenance costs are nearly zero and the risk of “puncture or tear” is practically non-existing.

In many industries, the fact that sodium bentonite is a 100% natural clay gives it the awesome advantage of being environmentally friendly. It’s high effectiveness also makes it a very tough competitor in several markets, where its investment is comparable to other materials but its efficiency wins in the long run.

Lonestar Minerals is a leading sodium bentonite products manufacturer that has explored “what is sodium bentonite” for more than 20 years. We mine the sodium bentonite, process it at our mills and manufacturing plant, manufacture and deliver quality bentonite products for our customer’s industries and applications. We have state of the art lab facilities that help us provide you not only with the highest quality sodium bentonite, but with innovative formulated sodium bentonite products that can help you save time and money.

We have a wide variety of products including but not limited to: bentonite for ponds, granular bentonite, formulated cat litter, blended clay for wastewater treatment and API Bentonite Gel as a drilling mud additive.

We have a delivery network that can reach any corner of the continental US. To keep our low prices we provide only high volume, wholesale requests, starting from one pallet and up to full truckloads. Trust Lonestar Minerals to be your partner in business.