Bentonite (API 13A Drilling, Foundry & Civil Piling Grades)

High-yield sodium and activated bentonite — API 13A oilfield, green sand foundry & diaphragm piling

Bentonite under HS 2508.10 is an aluminium hydrosilicate clay consisting predominantly of the smectite mineral montmorillonite. Its commercial utility across oil and gas exploration, metal casting foundries, and heavy geotechnical engineering derives from its crystal lattice structure, which expands dramatically upon hydration to produce high-viscosity thixotropic gels with exceptional water-absorption, lubrication, and sealing capabilities. In international trade, the commodity divides sharply between natural sodium bentonite (famed for high swelling volumes of 24–30 ml/2g) and calcium bentonite, which is mechanically and chemically activated with soda ash (sodium carbonate) to elevate rheological yield.

CBIL brokers certified industrial bentonite across three core containerized market sectors: 1. Oilfield Drilling Grade (API Spec 13A Section 9 / Section 10 & OCMA): Milled to 200-mesh fineness (≥96% passing 75 microns) with a minimum viscometer dial reading of 30 at 600 rpm and yield point / plastic viscosity (YP/PV) ratios precisely calibrated for horizontal directional drilling (HDD), oil/gas wellbore stabilization, and fluid-loss control (filtrate volume ≤15.0 ml). 2. Foundry Green Sand Grade: Engineered with high thermal durability, high green compression strength (≥80–110 kPa), and elevated wet tensile strength for cast iron, ductile iron, and steel foundries. It acts as the inorganic binder that holds quartz sand moulds together during molten metal pour without gas pocket formation. 3. Civil Engineering & Geotechnical Slurry Grade: Sized for diaphragm wall trenching, micro-tunnelling, pipe-jacking lubrication, and impermeable landfill liner compaction, delivering instant swell and ultra-low hydraulic conductivity (<10⁻⁹ cm/s).

Shipments move in containerized FCLs rather than bulk ships to protect the hydro-sensitive clay from ambient humidity and cryo-caking: 25 kg multi-wall valve paper bags with inner polyethylene moisture barriers on shrink-wrapped wooden pallets (typically 20–22 MT per 20ft FCL), or heavy-duty 1,000 kg FIBC bags with discharge spouts (22–25 MT per 20ft FCL). Sourced from premier deposits in India (Bhavnagar/Kutch basin), Turkey (Ankara/Cankiri), Egypt, and Wyoming (USA), each consignment is independently certified at the loading facility by SGS or Intertek for moisture, 200-mesh sieve retention, swelling index, and API rheology. Mid-tier drilling contractors and foundry blenders can onboard via 1 to 2 container starter-trials (25 to 50 MT) under standard CFR and CIF container liner terms.

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Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.