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Sodium bentonite filling a need |
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By JULIET BRISKIN | Central Texas Edition |
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March 7, 2002 -- Ponds and tanks that leak can be a headache for landowners, but there is a solution to the problem. Sodium bentonite is a swelling clay that can be used to seal leaking ponds and tanks and is a completely natural product. The particles of bentonite will swell when exposed to water and seal individual holes or an entire body of water. George Burton, owner of Texas Sodium Bentonite, Inc., recognized the benefits of sodium bentonite in 1988 when he applied it to a stock pond on his ranch to see if it would help prevent the pond from drying up. The experiment worked and fourteen years later he is touting the benefits of this natural clay around the world. "We've known about sodium bentonite for 25-years and what could be done with it," said Burton, "but I was involved in other businesses. I had to wait until I could eliminate those other businesses or pass them down to another generation before I could devote as much time to the bentonite as I wanted to." Burton began selling the product, which is mined on family property just south of Alpine, about 14-years ago. "Some of the Natural Resource Conservation Service field officers were out at my ranch and noticed that my ponds were now holding water," explained Burton. "I told them what I was doing with the bentonite and they asked if I could get more. The field officers knew of other landowners that were having problems keeping water in their ponds. That is primarily how this business started." Burton now devotes much of his time to his sodium bentonite business. He warehouses the bentonite in Comanche where he and his family live. "We have the warehouse here in Comanche because it is centrally located," said Burton. "Within twenty-four hours of an order being placed we can have it on a truck and headed to the customer." There is a lab set up at the mine to regularly test the product and a soil scientist that can test a customer's soil to see how much of bentonite they will need to apply. In addition Burton works with Texas A&M University and two unbiased labs in San Antonio. "We send our product to the labs in San Antonio at random to test it to make sure we are only selling top quality products," explained Burton. Burton's sodium bentonite comes in six different screen sizes, or granule sizes and he also produces an all-natural clumping cat litter. "I cannot stress enough that this product is all-natural; we do not add any chemicals to it at all," stated Burton. "It will not harm wildlife or humans and can even be ingested with out causing harm." According Burton, sodium bentonite is now used in landfills, dairy lagoons, wastewater treatment plants, as a feed binder, and as a natural pesticide carrier. "Besides sealing ponds, sodium bentonite can be used as a feed binder," said Burton. "It can be mixed in with feed and if there are any pesticides in the feed the bentonite will attach to it and not allow the pesticide to be digested." This is a benefit to both dairy and beef cattle farmers, stated Burton, because the sodium bentonite prevents any pesticides from being deposited in the milk of a diary cow or the muscles of beef cattle. In addition to mining and selling bentonite, Burton's company consults with customers about their soil type and how to properly apply the product. "If the bentonite is applied properly you should not have to reapply. It actually seems to get better over time," said Burton. "Even in a severe drought the bentonite may dry out and crack with the ground, but once you get water again it will re-swell and seal the pond. I know this can happen up to thirty times because we've run the tests." There are two types of application methods, dry and wet. The dry application takes place when a tank or pond is empty. "Normally on a dry application you would clear the area of any debris and smooth it out," said Burton. "Then you apply the product anywhere from one half to three-quarters of an inch thick. That is about four to five pounds of product per square foot." After the product is applied it is then mixed in with the soil and packed with a roller or sheep's foot. A wet application is done when there is water in the pond or tank. "For a wet application a dry fertilizer spreader can be used," he explained. "The product is thrown out over the water in a half-moon spread from one stationary position." The product then sinks to the bottom. According to Burton it takes up to ninety days for the product to begin working and will work in any temperature water. "The warmer the water the quicker it will activate," he stated. "It must be hydrated to swell. When it is exposed to water it will swell up to 18 times its original size and you will have an impenetrable liner that is several inches thick." For more information about Texas Sodium Bentonite contact George Burton at 915-885-2339 or visit their web site at www.texassodiumbentonite.com. |
Right:
George Burton provides a tour of his warehouse in
Comanche. Above: Burton displays one of six different
sized products he carries.