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Baseline Studies of the Clay Minerals Society Source Clays: Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2024

Patricia M. Costanzo*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, USA
*
E-mail of corresponding author: [email protected]
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Clay minerals share a basic set of structural and chemical characteristics (e.g. they are largely aluminosilicates with layer structures) and yet each clay mineral has its own unique set of properties that determine how it will interact with other chemical species. The variation, in both chemistry and structure, among the clays leads to their applications in extremely diverse fields. Common and important industrial applications of clays are in the manufacture of paper, paint, plastics and rubber. One of their more recent and most economically important applications is in the petlitter industry where their adsorptive and deodorizing properties are used. Specialty uses include clay additive to chicken feed to boost nutritional uptake by the chicken, and in using clay as fillers and major ingredients in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Clays are used for their catalytic properties and for their ability to adsorb greases, fats and other organic materials. Those who exist with scarce resources frequently collect clays from local deposits and ingest them as a source of dietary minerals. It is difficult for a day to go by without using a product incorporating clay minerals, as we all use ceramics such as dinnerware and sanitaryware.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 2001, The Clay Minerals Society

References

Moore, D.E. and Reynolds, R.C. Jr, 1997 X-ray Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Minerals 2nd New York Oxford University Press 378.Google Scholar