Bleaching Earth – Activated Clay for Oil and Chemical Purification

Bleaching Earth is an activated adsorbent clay, typically derived from bentonite or attapulgite, and processed through controlled acid activation. This treatment significantly increases surface area, porosity, and adsorption efficiency, making bleaching earth indispensable in edible oil refining and chemical purification.

It is primarily used to remove color bodies, oxidation products, trace metals, soaps, and residual impurities, helping refiners meet stringent quality, safety, and color specifications.

Key Benefits

• High adsorption efficiency: Effectively removes pigments, peroxides, soaps, and metals.
• Large surface area & porosity: Acid activation enhances active sites for impurity capture.
• Process stability: Performs reliably under typical refining temperatures.
• Low swelling behaviour: Free-flowing powder for easy dosing and filtration.
• Application-specific grades: Tailored activity levels for edible oil and industrial processes.

Available Grades

• Acid-Activated Bleaching Earth: High-activity grades for edible oil refining.
• Natural Bleaching Clay: Mild adsorption for selected applications.
• Powder & Granular Forms: Designed for different handling and filtration systems.

Applications

Key Application Areas

Edible Oil Refining: Used during bleaching to improve: Oil color, Oxidative stability, Flavor and shelf life

Food & Feed Processing: Applied in oil purification processes to meet food safety standards.

Lubricants & Petrochemicals: Purifies: Transformer oils, Hydraulic oils, Industrial lubricants.

Chemical Processing: Removes trace catalysts, colorants, and degradation products.

Sugar Industry: Used for decolorization and clarification of sugar syrups.

Biodiesel Production: Pre-treats feedstocks by removing gums and pigments.

Why Choose Our Bleaching Earth?

Our capabilities include:

• Controlled acid activation and washing
• Consistent adsorption performance
• Custom particle size and activity levels
• Compliance with food industry requirements
• Reliable bulk supply and technical assistance

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is bleaching earth used for?

A: It is used to purify and decolorize oils and chemicals by adsorbing unwanted impurities.

Q: How does activated clay work?

A: Its porous surface attracts and binds pigments, metals, and oxidation products from oils.

Q: Can bleaching earth be reused?

A: Typically, it is a consumable material. Limited regeneration may be possible but is not common.

Q: Is bleaching earth safe for edible oil refining?

A: Yes, bleaching earth is processed to remove activation residues and complies with regulatory standards.

Q: What is the typical dosage?

A: Usually 0.5–5.0% of oil weight, depending on oil quality and desired purity.

Products:

• Activated Bleaching Earth: This is made from bentonite clay and consist of fine bleaching earth powders and granules with high adsorption capacity. Mined in a sustainable way, our natural products are developed to ensure high levels of performance when used by refineries. The product range provides activated bleaching clays which is able to gently remove pigments, gums and other substances that can unfavourably affect the appearance, taste, odour and shelf life of edible oils.
• Natural Bleaching Earth: Bleaching earth is probably the most important chemical utilized in the refining of oils & fats, where its function is to purify, decolourize and impart stability in the refined oil. Our Natural Bleaching Earth is a highly effective adsorbent essential in the refining process for the purification and decolourisation of edible and non-edible oils. The specified quality parameters for our bleaching earths reflect their importance to the refiner. The parameters are Activity, Moisture Content and Oil-Filtration Time.