Bentonite clay, or Koi clay, is a type of rock composed of claylike materials. There are two kinds of bentonite clay: swelling bentonite, also known as sodium or Western bentonite, and non swelling bentonite, known as calcium or southern bentonite. Both types of bentonite are formed from volcanic ash that has been deposited in water. Bentonite clay is mostly found in the Western United States and Greece. The predominant use of bentonite clay is in drilling wells for oil and gas.
Composition
The major claylike mineral in bentonite is montmorillonite. Other minerals include biotite, feldspars, kaolinite, volcanic glass and quartz. Other components found in clay, such as iron and silicate, confer special properties. Iron makes clay red. Silicate causes increased plasticity, making the clay malleable.
Bentonite clay is inexpensive and is available in powdered form. It is highly absorbent, and is able to hold several hundred times its weight in water. This quality makes bentonite clay suitable as a liner for artificial ponds and koi ponds.
Bentonite Clay is a mined product. A major cost factor for the production of bentonite is the removal of sand and silt to yield a pure product.
Sodium Bentonite
Because of its high absorbency and clumping tendency, sodium bentonite is useful as a sealant. It is considered a safe, natural, nontoxic and inexpensive treatment for porous soils. According to Texas Sodium Bentonite, Inc., the U. S. government and several states require that sodium bentonite or a material with comparable qualities be used as a liner to seal toxic waste lagoons and abandoned oil and water wells. Its swelling capacity gives sodium bentonite the ability to bond with soil and create and impenetrable barrier. Sodium bentonite is also used for mud drilling, clumping cat litter, and as a bonding agent for feeds, medicines and cosmetics. Currently, sodium bentonite is being investigated as an absorbing agent to remove E-Coli bacteria from food.
Calcium Bentonite
Calcium bentonite is referred to as "living clay" because of the belief found in many cultures that it is useful as a medicine. The practice of geophagy or "earth eating" is centered on the belief that some clays such as calcium bentonite is able to be safely ingested for the absorption and removal of toxins from the gastrointestinal tract. Geophagy is known to have been practiced by some Indigenous peoples of Australia and Africa.(Ref. 4) Both external and internal uses of clay as a medicine was recorded in a medical treatise on clay therapy written by Greek physician and philosopher Galen in the second Century A.D. (Ref. 4) The modern alternative healthcare industry uses calcium bentonite extensively for internal and external toxin removal that is believed to be based on ion exchange. (Ref. 4) Consult your doctor if you are considering ingestion of any non food substance.
Future Medicine
Arizona State University Arizona State University (ASU) geochemist Lynda Williams and microbiologist Shelley Haydel have obtained promising results regarding research into the antibacterial properties of a calcium bentonite clay mined in France. Laboratory results reveal a type of clay that has antimicrobial activity against pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
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