Conventional Uses Of Fullers Earth
CONVENTIONAL USES OF FULLERS EARTH
• Since over a century and till date the major use of Fuller’s Earth is for decolorizing animal, vegetable and petroleum oils, fats, greases, waxes and solvents.
• There are even accounts of Fuller’s Earth being used to decolorize beer
• Granular Fuller’s Earth is used to improve UV spectrometer readings and PNC values of petroleum base oil distillates.
• Cat litter.
• Cosmetic creams and face packs.
• Pharmaceuticals.
• Agricultural pesticide carriers.
• Manufacture of various catalysts used in the petroleum and chemical industries.
PROCESS OF USAGE
Direct Clay Treatment/Contact Process
Fuller’s Earth used in the contact process employed for decolorizing oils, greases and waxes is in the powder form. It highly improves its characteristics of oil
Filteration is the direct agitation of a mixture of a very fine clay and oil, usually at elevated temperature, for a definite period of time to accomplish a desired result.
Bleaching: The selective removal of pigments from oils and fats by adsorption on clay, specially chosen and activated for specific effects is a term known as bleaching.
PERCOLATION PROCESS CLAY
Fuller’s Earth is also used in the percolation filter process is in the granular form, this process is usually used for light color oils like base oil distillates, mainly to improve it UV and PNC values.
PERCOLATION: The term ‘percolation’ is given to that method of filtering in which the oil to be decolorized is passed through a bed of granular adsorbent aided via the help of gravity.
FILTRATION: Filtration is the general term applied to the process of removing colour and suspended matter from base stocks for specialty products.