Thousands of water supply wells are drilled every year. Some of these wells are drilled for individual homeowners, new subdivisions or municipalities. The wells may also be drilled for a water source for industrial use or irrigation.
The bentonite used for drilling fluids, grout and sealants is primarily mined in the area encompassing Wyoming and surrounding areas in the western United States. This sodium-based bentonite is an ore whose major constituent is the clay mineral, sodium montmorillonite. Montmorillonite is a three-layer mineral consisting of two tetrahedral silicate layers sandwiched around a central octahedral aluminate layer.
During my travels as a territory sales manager for CETCO, I often hear comments about the price of bentonite. Many companies offer bentonite-based products and they have many different price points. For example, bentonite chips used to seal and decommission boreholes are offered by many companies with a wide range of prices. Not all chips are created equal!
