Wyoming Bentonite
Wyoming's
Bentonite industry produced over 4.1 million tons of bentonite in 2000, with
672 mine and mill employees, and 194 contractor employees. Bentonite is a
clay mineral composed of microscopic platelets in layers. With water added,
the plates can slide across each other. Bentonite will swell when wet, to
as much as 15 times its original volume. The major markets for Wyoming bentonite
are absorbents, animal feed, drilling fluids, foundry, iron ore pelletizing,
and sealants. Demand for Wyoming bentonite as an absorbent in pet litter has
seen real growth in recent years, and may become the largest single market
for Wyoming bentonite after the turn of the century. Drilling mud lubricates
oilfield drilling equipment and helps prevent caving of the drill hole. Currently,
the largest market for Wyoming bentonite is in the foundry industry as a molding
sand binder. The molds are then used to cast engine blocks and other items.
Another use of Wyoming bentonite is for binding iron pellets, which are later
fed into a blast furnace for processing. Bentonite is also used to seal reservoirs
and landfills. Other uses include crayons, medicines, and the first use of
Wyoming bentonite - cosmetics.Wyoming bentonite is the result of chemical
changes in ancient volcanic ash, which originated in western Wyoming and Idaho
about 120 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period. Prevailing
winds blew the ash into a shallow sea which covered most of what is now Montana
and Wyoming. Present day exposures of the ash deposits are mined to an average
depth of 25 feet in the Big Horn basin, the Powder River basin, and along
the edges of the Black Hills. Wyoming's bentonite industry faces challenges
from international sources, partial substitution by polymers in iron ore pelletizing,
new oil & gas drilling methods, and market swings in demand for durable
goods and energy exploration which in turn drive demand for bentonite.
Some Bentonite Mining Companies on the Web:
American
Colloid
Bentonite Corporation
Black Hills Bentonite (Link currently not working)
M-I LLC
Wyo-Ben,
Inc
