Uses of Montmorillonite and Mullite in Various Industries
Montmorillonite, a soft phyllosilicate clay, is used in soil additives, construction of dams, foundry sand, and as a desiccant. Mullite, a synthetic material, is valued for its high-temperature properties and is used in furnace linings. Learn more about these versatile materials and their applications in different industries.
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Presentation Transcript
Montmorillonite Montmorillonite is a very soft phyllosilicate group of minerals that form when they precipitate from water solution as microscopic crystals, known as clay. Montmorillonite, a member of the smectite group, is a 2:1 clay, meaning that it has two tetrahedral sheets of silica sandwiching a central octahedral sheet of alumina. The particles are plate-shaped with the formula (Al2Si4O10(OH)2 ) The individual crystals of montmorillonite clay are not tightly bound hence water can intervene, causing the clay to swell. The water content of montmorillonite is variable and it increases greatly in volume when it absorbs water. It is used as a soil additive to hold soil water in
drought-prone soils, used in the construction of earthen dams and levees, and to prevent the leakage of fluids. It is also used as a component of foundry sand and as a desiccant to remove moisture from air and gases.
Mullite Mullite (3Al2O3 2SiO2) does not exist in nature in large quantities and must be produced synthetically. It has many properties that make it suitable for high-temperature applications. Mullite has a very small coefficient of the thermal expansion (giving it good thermal shock resistance) and is the creep resistant at high temperature. Most importantly, it does not react readily with molten glass or with molten metal slags and is stable in the corrosive furnace atmosphere. Hence it is used as a furnace lining and other refractory applications in the iron, steel making, and glass industries. There are two commercial approaches to producing mullite: Sintering and Fusing.
