Due to its high surface area and strong binding properties, Bentonite is a true all-rounder that enhances a wide range of products and processes in various industries from food to foundry.
As a leading provider of specialty products based on Bentonite, we are fully integrated in the complete value chain: from exploration, mining, processing and refinement to tailored industry and customer specific solutions.
Our global network of mines, secure supply, efficient logistics and unparalleled application service is ready for your needs on 24 production sites worldwide – and looks back on over 100 years of experience.
Clariant’s sustainability approach is an increasingly important aspect for our customers across the globe. Atop of this value chain, sustainability is a strategic pillar of Clariant's business strategy. And it doesn't stop with our products. We are committed to re-naturalizing our bentonite mines, even with a higher level of biodiversity.
To show the complete production process at BU FM, from mining bentonite through to the final product including our re-naturalization commitment, watch the movie examples.
Sustainable mining and production in China
Sustainable mining and production in Europe
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| June 25, 2019 |
Answering foundry priorities & casting trends: LE+ Technology success at GIFA 2019Clariant’s support for a more sustainable future for foundries is proving to meet or even overachieve BTEX emission limits. At GIFA 2019, Clariant shares real-world success for Low Emission+ Technology (LE+ Technology) in lowering total cost of ownership (TCO), delivering high surface quality castings, and elevating eco-credentials to match casting consumers’ demands. more |
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The TONSIL® CO Jet has long-standing experience in the treatment of kerosene and jet fuel
Olefin Removal in Aromatic Complexes with TONSIL ® APT and TONSIL ® CO catalysts
TONSIL® bleaching earths for the refinement of edible oils, biofuel feedstock,
technical oils and waxes
INVOQUE™ provides revolutionary solutions to turn mining, waterways
and drilling sediments into valuable materials
CONTAINER DRI® II and DESI PAK® desiccants for moisture protection of cargo and devices
SÜDFLOCK® flocculant for municipal and industrial waste water treatment plants
CLARIT®, CERATOSIL® and CERATOFIX® specialty clay additives
TOXISORB® grades are feed additives for achieving better and safer animal nutrition
OPAZIL®, PRINTOSIL® and PITCHBENT® paper additives for retention and pitch control
LAUNDROSIL®, LAUNDROCLIN® and LAUNDROBRIGHT® detergent additives
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About Us
Clariant’s Business Unit Functional Minerals is the leading provider of specialty products and solutions based on bentonite and synthetic minerals to enhance products and processes in various industries. Headquartered in Munich, Germany and operating on a worldwide scale, the Business Unit comprises the activities of the former Adsorbents Division of Süd-Chemie. Functional Minerals has fully integrated the complete value chain from exploration, mining, processing and refinement of natural bentonite to tailored industry and customer specific solutions. An experienced management team makes sure that anticipating and meeting customers’ expectations are the top priority for the whole organization.
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Bentonite
Bentonite is a clay material that is quite abundant on earth. It was and is still formed in nature by weathering of volcanic ashes and subsequent sedimentation. Bentonite properties are determined mainly by the amount and type of smectite-type layer silicates, for example montmorillonite. These minerals consist of stacks of platelet-like crystals that can fully disintegrate in water and form viscous slurries. They also exhibit a high specific surface area and cation exchange capacity, and can thus adsorb and bind quite a variety of molecules. All these properties, and many more, vary from one bentonite deposit to the other, and they can all be influenced by an appropriate treatment of the clay by various processes. Careful selection of the right bentonite and the right processing make it fit for a plethora of applications – from edible oil purification, foundry sand binders, and feed additives to drilling fluids.
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Exploration
While bentonite per se is abundant on earth, careful selection of the right bentonites for the individual applications is a crucial part of ensuring uninterrupted supply. To this end our own exploration team of geologists, mineralogists and mining engineers travels the world to find suitable deposits for our customers’ needs.
Opening Up
Our application development department, staffed with chemists and scientists experienced in our customers’ applications, tests and approves the individual bentonite grades prior to moving into full-scale mining operations.
Extraction
Clariant currently operates 40 bentonite mines, so our customers can rest assured that supply is secured and that mining is fully compliant with international, national, regional and local regulations.
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Processing & Production
Bentonite can be processed in several ways to optimize properties for the individual uses. Functional Minerals operates 24 production sites that turn the raw bentonite clay into consistent quality products for a variety of our customers’ applications. The challenge is always to convert a natural product with natural fluctuations of composition and quality into a final product with consistent performance – a challenge that we master day-in day-out for more than 100 years now.
Acid activation is performed to considerably increase the surface area of the bentonite and create additional acidic reaction sites. This treatment is useful for applications like edible oil refinement and purification of mineral oils and biofuel feedstock.
Alkaline activation is performed to modify the viscosity and rheology of bentonite slurries. This treatment is useful of applications like foundry sand binders, civil engineering, paper, detergents and many more.
Some bentonite grades are naturally active and fit for their respective application. In any case, all grades, whether activated or not, need to be dried, milled and classified to specification and pass rigorous quality checks prior to release to customers.
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Re-Cultivation
The mines of Functional Minerals are always operated under the prerequisite that the land will ultimately be returned to the land owner in the same or even better state than before extracting bentonite. We thus turn our attention from the beginning to the re-cultivation of mine sites and co-ordinate all activities with local and regional authorities and the land owners. Agricultural land is returned to the same use as before mining without loss of fertility and productivity for the farmer. Forest, abandoned agricultural land and wasteland is re-cultivated to an upgraded level of biodiversity in close co-operation with authorities. This co-operation with all stakeholders of land, be it authorities, local governing bodies and individual owners of property and mining and water rights, ensures sustainability of bentonite supply and living up to the Clariant values.
Refilling
Replacing
Nature gives us so much – we give back
When we re-naturalize mining sites, we replace and improve natural habitats by planting mixed woodlands and increasing biodiversity, being a good neighbor.
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Technical Service
Functional Minerals takes pride in offering unrivaled technical and application services to its customers. Both our development and sales teams consist of members with distinct experience in our customers’ industries and applications, like chemists and foundry, paper, civil and agricultural engineers. Their main focus is to continuously improve and adapt our products and processes to optimize our customers’ total cost of ownership (TCO).
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GLOBAL NETWORK
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Functional Minerals Headquarters
Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH/Clariant SEBusiness Unit Functional MineralsArabellastraße 4a81925 MünchenGermany
