What is difference between sodium bentonite and calcium bentonite?
Bentonite is a montmorillonite clay formed from altered volcanic ash originally deposited in prehistoric marine environments. Sodium bentonite was formed in a salt water marine environment and calcium bentonite formed in a fresh water environment. Bentonite is unique in that it has the ability to absorb water and expand up to 15 times its original weight for sodium bentonite and approximately 3 times its original weight for calcium bentonite. With this absorption of water and expansion, the result is a marked decrease in clay hydraulic conductivity well below that of typical clays.
