BENEFICIATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF A BENTONITE FROM NORTH-EASTERN NIGERIA

A sample of Yola montmorillonite clay deposit was beneficiated and evaluated for drilling fluid application. The raw clay contains large proportion of impurities and was beneficiated via dry and wet methods and sodium treatment. The clay yield and characterization of the beneficiated samples showed that the wet method is more efficient at removing the impurities than the dry method. Although sodium treatment improves the rheological properties of the clay suspension, it is still far below the required specification for drilling fluid application. Elemental analysis of the wet beneficiated sample revealed that the clay is a low-grade calcium montmorillonite.