About KABE

What is Karbonn Activated Bleaching Earth?

Karbonn Activated Bleaching Earth (KABE) is unwashed acid treated bleaching earth. Natural bleaching earth or bentonite is activated by a process involving treatment with sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid or phosphoric acid to improve the efficacy considerably than that of the natural bleaching earth.

The term bentonite was first used to describe clay material hosted by the Benton Shale of Wyoming, US, named after Fort Benton, which is approximately 650 kilometres north of the first bentonite mine. Subsequently a number of definitions have been used for bentonite based on mineralogy, origin and end usage. This has caused a lot of confusion, particularly if mode of origin and end usage is used in the definition.

Alteration of certain varieties of volcanic ash and glass, under specific conditions produces a type of clay deposit called bentonite.

Definition

With relevance to industrial minerals, bentonite or bleaching earths can be defined as follows: Clay consisting essentially of minerals of the smectite clay mineral group, whose physical properties are dictated by a dominant mineral, regardless of mode of origin and occurrence.

Clay material with a capacity to decolorize and purify oil to commercial grade is also composed of smectite clay minerals. The dominant mineral in smectite clay is calcium montmorillonite whose proper nomenclature is Fullers' Earth.

These "overlaps" in nomenclature are still fairly common. Volcanic Clay, Soap Clay, Mineral Soap, Bleaching and Absorbent Clays/Earths are loosely-used synonymous terms for bentonite.

Mode of Occurrence and Origin

Bleaching earths have formed over the years by the gradual alteration of volcanic ash. The parent ash (volcanic glass) of most bleaching earths was deposited under marine conditions, and a few deposits accumulated in alkaline lakes. The most common parent materials range from andesite to rhyolite in composition.

Certain bleaching earths exhibit strong evidence of origin by hydrothermal alteration of igneous rocks. Beds and lenticular bodies extending between a few hundred meters to more than 300 km in length are common modes of occurrence of bleaching earth.

In most cases the basal contacts are relatively sharp, and gradational contacts with overlying beds are predominant.

Most associated lithologies are of marine origin, ranging from glauconitic sands in Mississippi to limestone (Israel) to shales (Wyoming) to calcareous fossiliferous sands and marls (England). Non-marine beds are less common, and include fresh water limestones (Brazil, Canada) and carbonaceous shale and coal beds (British Columbia). In Cyprus radiolarian chert is associated with bleaching earth, and diatomite is found with it in Algeria and Peru. Most economic bentonite deposits are of Cretaceous age or younger, although bleaching earth can be found in formations ranging in age from Upper Palaeozoic to Pleistocene.