What is Sodium Bentonite?

Here at Southwestern Materials, we are often asked the question, what is sodium bentonite? The person asking the question can be an existing client, who wants to learn more about the substance currently being used as drilling mud at a particular well, or the question could be from a visitor to our website, who is looking into sodium bentonite to seal a pond bed. Whatever the reason, it is an important question to ask because sodium bentonite offers a number of benefits for a wide variety of uses. The benefits provided by this substance stem from its composition and the manner in which it was formed.

For more detailed answers to the question, “What is sodium bentonite?” you can get in touch with us directly at 888-600-6077. You can also request a quote through our online form. We hope to hear from you soon, and we look forward to serving as your Texas bentonite supplier.

What is Sodium Bentonite & How Did It Form?

As we answer the question of “What is sodium bentonite?”, it is important to take a closer look at where this substance comes from and how it has accumulated over time.

Over the course of a couple of million years, sodium bentonite formed when volcanic ash spewed out of erupting volcanoes and this ash was deposited onto ancient seas or lakes. As that substance filtered through the water, it collected and absorbed minerals. Eventually, it settled in ancient sea beds or lake beds, forming a layer of clay that was highly energized as well as mineralized. As time passed, those seas and lakes dried up, leaving behind layers of that clay in the soil. Painted Desert in Arizona offers a good and visually compelling example of this type of clay deposit.

How Does Sodium Bentonite Work and What Can It Do?

Having considered where sodium bentonite comes from, we can further unpack the question of “What is sodium bentonite?” by looking into how it does what it does.

Sodium bentonite expands to many times its dry mass when it becomes saturated with water. This substance has excellent colloidal properties, which makes it very useful as a drilling mud for oil wells, gas wells, and boreholes for geotechnical and environmental exploration.

Bentonite’s ability to swell when wet also makes it useful as a sealant, since it is able to create a barrier that possesses low permeability and can heal itself. Those characteristics are useful in many situations. For example, sodium bentonite is often used to line the base of landfills and to seal and prevent leaks in lakes, ponds, and wells.

In addition, it is possible to make useful improvements to bentonite, such as by increasing its sealing performance through the addition of polymers. So, in a sense, the question of “What is sodium bentonite?” must also take into consideration how this substance can be augmented and improved on by altering its composition or introducing additives.

Learn More Information About “What is Sodium Bentonite?”

This is just an overview of what sodium bentonite is. For even more answers to this question, you can get in touch with us directly by phone at 512-280-7801 toll free @ 888-600-6077. You can also request a quote online. As a bentonite supplier with a long track record of customer satisfaction serving customers in Texas and nationwide, we take pride in our ability to provide the details and answers that our clients are looking for.