Fullers earth mining in Pakur district in Jharkhand State of India.

Bentonite may have played a major role in Fullers earth formation.

By Dr. itish Priyadarshi

Fullers !arth.

"ining of Fullers earth.

Bentonite #$stract% Pakur is located in the north east corner of Jharkhand State of India. Major part of the district is characterized by undulating topography covered by basaltic flows of Raj ahal !rap. "uller#s earth ining is li ited up to a shallow depth only and it is done anually. Most of the "uller#s earth is send to local arket of Pakur and neighboring state of $est %engal. &ocal villagers have the ownership of the ining and the profit is distributed a ong the . "uller#s earth is ainly of sedi entary origin. It occurs interstratified with geologically late sands and clays. It is thought that ost fuller#s earth originated fro volcanic ash. Mont orillonite and attapulgite are the principal constituents' and ont orillonite is characteristic of bentonite. !here is further suggestion that it was derived fro bentonite by natural leaching in surface water' assisted perhaps by plant acids and bacteria. Discussion% Pakur is located in the north east corner of Jharkhand State( at )*+,-. to )/+01. latitude and 12+)/. to 13+/3. 4. longitude. Pakur is bordered by Sahibganj district in 5orth' 6u ka district in South' 7odda district in $est and Murshidabad and %irbhu districts 8of the $est %engal9 in the 4ast. Pakur has an area of about 2:2 s;uare kilo etres and a population of 1::')-- 8)-00 <ensus9. Pakur' fa ous for stone and %eedi 8%iri9 aking industry' is one of the i portant revenue=earning districts of newly created Jharkhand State. Its black stone chips have got >siatic fa e in constructional ;ualities. Pakur was earlier a Sub=6ivision of Santhal Parganas district of Jharkhand. Major part of the district is characterized by undulating topography covered by basaltic flows of Raj ahal !rap. !he ain geo orphological features of the district are the rolling peneplain in the south with nu erous re nants of ancient ridges and resistant lava plateau of Raj ahal. !hese plateaus rise above the general level and occupy ajor part of

the district. !he general elevation of the hills and plateau varies fro MS&.

3- to *30

above

Raj ahal !rap is the ajor rock type in the district. !he other geological for ations of the district are alluviu ' laterite and gondwana. In the eastern part of the district' recent alluviu occurs in patches' which is ainly co posed of sand and sub ordinate clay. &aterites are ainly of in situ origin and have been for ed by sub=aerial erosion of underlying basalts under favorable cli atic conditions. &aterites provide a productive ground water reservoir due to their very porous and per eable nature. !he ost significant %arakar coal easures of 7ondwana for ation occurs in western part of the district. !he district of Santhal Paraganas is ainly a dissected upland of ancient crystalline rocks which are covered with thick flows of volcanic lava. !he ancient crystalline rocks' collectively called the >rchaean gneisses' cover the greater part of the district. !he principal rock is a granitoid gneiss earlier known as the %engal gneiss. "uller#s earth ining is li ited up to a shallow depth only and it is done anually. Most of the "uller#s earth is send to local arket of Pakur and neighboring state of $est %engal. &ocal villagers have the ownership of the ining and the profit is distributed a ong the . "uller#s earth is a variety of clay' so na ed because it has been used by fullers to full' or re ove grease fro cloth. Its arked absorptive powers' however' have caused it to be ore widely used to filter and decolor oils' fats' and greases. !he do inant use 8about 3- percent9 of fuller#s earth is in petroleu refining for filtering and clarifying petroleu products' ainly lubricants' and about 0- percent is utilized in the refining of vegetable oils and ani al fats. Its use is growing in do estic water purification. It also re oves putrescence' odors' and even colifor bacteria fro oily waste waters. In oil refining' colored oils passed through fuller#s earth co e out colorless. In addition' it re oves naphtha gu ' and i proves the sludge and carbon content' acidity' and viscosity of lubricating oils. It re oves color' odor' and taste fro vegetable and ani al oils. "uller#s earth cannot be reused after filtering vegetable oils. Minor uses include printing' abrasives' detection of coloring agents in food products' filler' and cos etics. "uller#s earth is a clay substance that is hugely popular for its healing property against acne and ble ishes. It is very rich in agnesiu chloride which helps to reduce acne. In oil refining fuller#s earth is being displaced by activated bentonite. "uller#s earth is ainly of sedi entary origin. It occurs interstratified with geologically late sands and clays. It is thought that ost fuller#s earth originated fro volcanic ash. Mont orillonite and attapulgite are the principal constituents' and ont orillonite is

characteristic of bentonite. !here is further suggestion that it was derived fro bentonite by natural leaching in surface water' assisted perhaps by plant acids and bacteria. >sh deposited in situ beco es bentonite? that which is gradually washed in' with leaching of grain surfaces' beco e fullers earth. 4@tended weathering of fuller#s earth ay yield Aaolin. &eference% %ate an' >.M. 0://. 4cono ic ineral deposit. John $iley B Sons' Inc. 5ew Cork.

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