Attapulgite Clay

Specially designed to hold your ingredients in a uniform mixture,
with the Strength of a GEL and the Pumpability of a LIQUID.

  • Critical qualities of liquid animal feed supplements are thixotrophy and stability, which can be measured by changes in viscosity at different shear rates and by syneresis, respectively. Thixotrophy is desirable because it is advantageous to have a liquid supplement that flows easily when pumped, then stiffens at a controlled rate which prevents or minimizes settling or stratification.

    Therefore, attapulgite stabilizers incorporated into liquid feed supplements containing emulsified oils, fats, and tallows form a gel structure in the continuous watery phase and prevent the emulsified droplets from coalescing, creaming, and stratifying as well as suspending ingredients such as salt.

  • Lime improves soil structure, neutralizes low soil pH, and supplies calcium and magnesium (from dolomitic limestone) as secondary elements.

    The handling and spreading of dry limestone makes for a dusty, non-uniform application. Now, however, borrowing an idea from the suspension fertilizer field, limestone can be slurried with attapulgite clay and made into a suspension gaining all the advantages of handling fluids.

  • Sulfur is essential for a number of important functions in plant growth: for the synthesis of chlorophyll and hence the greening of leaves; for root growth and activation of soil enzymes; and for use as an amendment and buffer of soil pH.

    A typical sulfur suspension contains 50-60% powdered sulfur and 2-3% clay from either attapulgite 350, a fine grade colloidal attapulgite clay, or HiLoad, a predispersed “liquid” clay. Both clays provide excellent long term suspension stability. However, HiLoad is recommended wherever a superior sulfur suspension is desired. This unique clay has the ability to keep particles of sulfur in suspension for extended periods of time without imparting high viscosity.

  • Attapulgite clay has many additional applications, including:

    • Paints and Coatings

    • Plastics

    • Suspension, Thickening, Gellant for many types of Liquids, Oils, Cleaners

    • Asphalt Coatings

    • Dry Flow Aids

    • Sorbent Applications

    • Friction Modifier

    • Adhesives and Sealants

    • Tape Joint Compounds

    • Construction, Grouts

    • Pharmaceutical

    • Pesticides

    Currently Blair Ag is the leading U.S. distributor of attapulgite clay for the agriculture industry, but we are excited to expand into new products and industries in the upcoming months and years.

Attapulgite Clay Uses:

Attapulgite mineral products are designed to help produce high quality liquid feed supplements and liquid suspension fertilizers that are stable, uniform, and easy to handle. Their unique viscosity and suspension properties practically eliminate phase separation and settling and allow supplements to flow more easily when pumped.

Attapulgite is an ultra-fine clay mineral containing bundles of submicron particles. When the bundles are well dispersed in liquid systems, the dispersed particles interact to form a colloidal network that entraps liquid and smaller particles, and suspends larger particles. The network is thixotropic, so the liquid is thickened when at rest to provide suspension but this under shear and flows more easily when pumped or stirred. The network and its associated viscosity instantly rebuild upon standing.

Thixotropy is a desirable property because it is advantageous to have a liquid suspension that flows easily when pumped, then stiffens at a controlled rate which prevents or minimizes settling.

Comparison of a sample in a gel state and a liquid state, with the gel showing a tangled network of lines and the liquid displaying dashed lines indicating fluidity.

Distinct advantages over other commonly used suspension or thickening agents, such as sepiolite mineral and certain organic gums. These include:

  • FDA & AAFCO approval

  • Easier dispersion

  • Thixotropic viscosity modification

  • Syneresis control

  • Cost-effective use

  • Consistent performance

  • Performs over a wide range of pH

  • Long-term stability

Depending on the manufacturing process, the attapulgite suspending agent is added either as a dry powder or as a pre-dispersed liquid.

Both types of attapulgite products are effective. Generally, liquid clay is preferred because it is optimally dispersed, incorporates readily into the feed and has no dust. However, in some cases, it is more economical to add powder directly or to prepare your own liquid clay.

Product Availability

  • Bulk Clay is available FOB:

    Blair, NE
    Quincy, FL
    Regional Transload Sites across the U.S.A.

  • Bagged Clay is available FOB:

    Quincy, FL
    Blair, NE

  • HiLoad pre-dispersed Liquid Clay is manufactured and available at:

    Blair, NE

    **More production sites coming soon, please contact us for details.

  • Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate (TSPP) granules and powder are available to order, FOB Omaha, NE.

Additional Attapulgite Products Available &
Their Applications:

  • These products are available in LVM/RVM for both slow and fast release applications.

  • Industrial attapulgite absorbent

    This industrial granular product is an economical, size-controlled attapulgite absorbent used for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. It performs well as an absorbent of either water or oils and greases.

    It is used in the following application(s):

    • Sorbents / Filter Aids

    This granular product is a general-purpose oil and grease absorbent. Automotive shops, industrial and machine-shop floors, and any other location where oil and/or grease can leak or build up are ideal for applying this granular product.

    In addition to absorbing oils and greases, this absorbent can absorb water, reduce the slippery nature of spills, and be used as a consolidating material for liquids needing disposal.

    Multipurpose attapulgite absorbent

    This is a coarse granular absorbent. The product can absorb its weight in liquid, making it a very effective spill absorbent for oil or water-based products. For added safety, this granular absorbent is specially processed to be dust-free and slip resistant, even when saturated. It also is noncombustible, making it ideal for blanketing oil and grease fires.

    This multipurpose absorbent is primarily used to clean up oil spills on floors and under machinery. It can be used for cleanup or for preventing an oil leak from spreading. The product can be reused until it is fully saturated. The saturated product still retains its hard form and is easily swept up with no caking.

    When spread onto floor surfaces, this green-flecked, granular absorbent acts as a "thirsty blotter," literally soaking up liquids and holding them for round-the-clock protection. It helps keep floors safer, cleaner and drier by providing superior absorptivity, even under heavy traffic.

    Other applications include:

    • Helping prevent slips and falls on walkways and driveways

    • Inhibiting mildew under plastic swimming and wading pool covers

    • Removing motor oil, grease, fuel and spills from garage and basement floors

    • Increasing water and plant food retention/conditioning potting soil

    • Deodorizing cat and kitty litter boxes

  • Attapulgite 200 RVM (Regular Volatile Matter) product is a thermally activated, powdered Attapulgite mineral that is suitable for a wide range of sorbent and filtration applications. The RVM product has a high level of sorptivity and an intermediate level of particle strength.

    Attapulgite 200 RVM is used in the following applications:

    • Sorbents / Filter Aids

    • Ag Carrier – Pesticide

    • Flow aids (dry)

    Attapulgite powdered sorbents provide dry flow properties in fire extinguisher powders, chemical, and laundry powders. They act as diluents and absorb moisture, thus preventing caking and poor flow.

  • Attapulgite clay has many additional applications, including:

    • Paints and Coatings

    • Plastics

    • Suspension, Thickening, Gellant for many types of Liquids, Oils, Cleaners

    • Asphalt Coatings

    • Dry Flow Aids

    • Sorbent Applications

    • Friction Modifier

    • Adhesives and Sealants

    • Tape Joint Compounds

    • Construction, Grouts

    • Pharmaceutical

    • Pesticides

    Currently Blair Ag is the leading U.S. distributor of attapulgite clay for the agriculture industry, but we are excited to expand into new products and industries in the upcoming months and years.

  • These products come in the form of coarse gel, fine gel, and granular materials that meet the increasing demand for attapulgite. Attapulgite is a naturally mined needle-like clay mineral composed of magnesium aluminum silicate. Gelling clay offers very good colloidal properties, such as rheology modification and particle suspension. Granular products offer high-temperature endurance, salt and alkali resistance, and high adsorbing and de-coloring capabilities.

    LVM

    LVM (Low Volatile Matter) product is a thermally activated, granular Attapulgite mineral that is suitable for a wide range of sorbent and filtration applications. The LVM product has good sorptivity and a high level of particle strength, resulting in lower attrition and fines.

    RVM

    RVM (Regular Volatile Matter) products are thermally activated granular Attapulgite minerals that are suitable for a wide range of sorbent and filtration applications. The RVM products have a high level of sorptivity and an intermediate level of particle strength.

    These attapulgite grades are effective as filtration aids and sorbents in a variety of applications, and can be used as dry flow aids, carriers, diluents, sorbents, and filter aids.

    • Agriculture

    • Industrial absorbents

    • Oil and general fluid filtration

    • Sports fields

    • Pharmaceutical

    • Personal Care

    • Cosmetic

  • This product is a granular, thermally-activated Attapulgite designed for use mainly in agricultural sorbent applications. Available as a low volatile matter (LVM), or regular volatile matter (RVM). The RVM products have a high level of sorptivity and an intermediate level of particle strength. The LVM products have good sorptivity and a high level of particle strength.

    RVM

    • Ag Carrier - Pesticide

    RVM products are highly-sorptive, solid, inert carriers of agricultural liquid and low-melting active ingredients. They provide unique properties including: rapid absorption of spray-impregnated pesticides to produce dry, free-flowing products with minimal dust in the final formulation to minimize worker exposure and drift. RVM products also offer improved chemical stability of active ingredients and low density (high particle count per pound).

    These products are used as toxicant carriers and diluents in pesticide applications. RVM granules break down quickly in the environment, allowing for a fast toxicant release.

    LVM

    • Ag Carrier - Pesticide

    LVM products are highly-sorptive, solid, inert carriers of agricultural liquid and low-melting active ingredients. They provide unique properties including: rapid absorption of spray-impregnated pesticides to produce dry, free-flowing products with minimal dust in the final formulation to minimize worker exposure and drift. LVM products also offer improved chemical stability of active ingredients and low density (high particle count per pound).

    These products are used as toxicant carriers and diluents in pesticide applications. LVM granules are harder and allow slow release over time.

    Sorbents / Filter Aids

    RVM and LVM thermally activated granular sorbents are widely used to decolorize, deodorize, and to remove surfactants, water, and other more polar impurities from a wide variety of organic liquids. Granular grades are used in static bed or cartridge applications while the fine granulars are used for contact filtration applications. The sorbtive nature of these products makes them ideal for removing dirt and oil from animal pelts, in cleaning stone and staturay, and for absorbing oil spills from racetracks. Any application requiring precisely milled, highly sorptive hard or soft particles is well served by our granular Attapulgite.