Contents
Where do you find vermiculite?
Vermiculite forms by the weathering or hydrothermal alteration of biotite or phlogopite. Large commercial vermiculite mines currently exist in the United States of America, Russia, South Africa, China, and Brazil.
What is the source of vermiculite?
It is derived from rocks containing large crystals of the minerals biotite and iron-bearing phlogopite. As these rocks are exposed to the weather, they start to decompose, allowing water to enter and react with the various chemicals present. As the decomposition and chemical reactions proceed, vermiculite is formed.
What is vermiculite mineral used for?
In its natural state the mineral has little commercial use, but exfoliated vermiculite is extremely light (specific gravity as low as 0.09) and is used in lightweight concrete or plaster, for thermal and acoustic insulation, or as a packing medium, a soil conditioner, a starting medium for seeds, and a filler or …
Where is vermiculite found in India?
In Karnataka vermiculite is found in the districts of Hassan, Mandya and Mysuru.
Why is it so hard to find vermiculite?
People have had problems finding vermiculite because of two reasons: As a result, there are many regions where there simply isn’t a local vermiculite processing plant. Because of a lot of bad publicity about Libby and the Libby vermiculite mine, most of the larger “box stores” no longer stock and supply vermiculite.
Is vermiculite dust dangerous?
What health effects are caused by uncontaminated vermiculite? Based on available information, there is no clear evidence that dust from vermiculite itself causes any serious health effects. Nevertheless, as with any dust, workers should avoid prolonged, high-level exposures.
What is unique about vermiculite?
1) What is vermiculite? Expanded vermiculite has unique and versatile characteristics; it is lightweight, provides energy savings when used as insulation, it is non-combustible, highly absorbent, pH neutral, inert, non-reactive to all but very strong acids and compressible.
Is vermiculite safe to eat?
Vermiculite itself is safe to use; there is no evidence that any acute or chronic toxicity or carcinogenicity exists from long-term exposure to vermiculite. When the vermiculite was mined, some asbestos minerals contaminated the vermiculite. Eating mycelium is like drinking near-beer. …
Where can vermiculite be found in the soil?
Vermiculite is found in fine, rare and somewhat larger sheets, and in other clay minerals as particles <4 μm. It is formed by weathering or hydrothermal alteration of biotite or phlogopite. Vermiculite is essential ingredient of soil and clay sediments. The mineral can be transformed, easily and quickly, into smectite in surface weathering.
Which is the best brand of vermiculite to use?
Plantation Products is a Popular brand of Vermiculite Vermiculite is a sterile substrate, meaning that damping-off is not a concern, and you can remove the seedlings from the seeding tray without damaging the roots.
Is the mineral in vermiculite the same as asbestos?
Some current deposits of vermiculite may contain low concentrations of amphibole minerals, which are not the same as asbestos. So, the presence of amphiboles in vermiculite (or any other mineral or rock product) does not necessarily mean that “asbestos” is present in the product.
Why is vermiculite insulation bad for your home?
If your home was built before 1990, you might have vermiculite insulation in your walls or attic. Up to 85 percent of all vermiculite insulation in the U.S. came from a mine in Libby, Montana, sold under the name Zonolite. Why is vermiculite bad? Nearly all vermiculite contains asbestos, which can cause lung cancer when inhaled.