Natural clays have been used to heal skin infections since the earliest recorded history. Recently our attention was drawn to a clinical use of French green clay (rich in Fe-smectite) for healing Buruli ulcer, a necrotizing fasciitis (‘flesh-eating’ infection) caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. These clays and others like them are interesting as they may reveal an antibacterial mechanism that could provide an inexpensive treatment for this and other skin infections, especially in global areas with limited hospitals and medical resources.Microbiological testing of two French green clays, and other clays used traditionally for healing, identified three samples that were effective at killing a broad-spectrum of human pathogens. A clear distinction must be made between ‘healing clays’ and those we have identified as antibacterial clays. The highly adsorptive properties of many clays may contribute to healing a variety of ailments, although they are not antibacterial. The antibacterial process displayed by the three identified clays is unknown. Therefore, we have investigated the mineralogical and chemical compositions of the antibacterial clays for comparison with non-antibacterial clays in an attempt to elucidate differences that may lead to identification of the antibacterial mechanism(s).The two French green clays used to treat Buruli ulcer, while similar in mineralogy, crystal size, and major element chemistry, have opposite effects on the bacterial populations tested. One clay deposit promoted bacterial growth whereas another killed the bacteria. The reasons for the difference in antibacterial properties thus far show that the bactericidal mechanism is not physical (e.g., an attraction between clay and bacteria), but by a chemical transfer or reaction. The chemical variables are still under investigation.Cation exchange experiments showed that the antibacterial component of the clay can be removed, implicating exchangeable cations in the antibacterial process. Furthermore, aqueous leachates of the antibacterial clays effectively kill the bacteria. Progressively heating the clay leads first to dehydration (200°C), then dehydroxylation (550°C or more), and finally to destruction of the clay mineral structure by (~900°C). By identifying the elements lost after each heating step, and testing the bactericidal effect of the heated product, we eliminated many toxins from consideration (e.g., microbes, organic compounds, volatile elements) and identified several redox-sensitive refractory metals that are common among antibacterial clays. We conclude that the pH and oxidation state buffered by the clay mineral surfaces is key to controlling the solution chemistry and redox related reactions occurring at the bacterial cell wall.

Uses of kaolin Pure kaolin has high whiteness, soft quality, easy to disperse suspended in water, good plasticity and high cohesiveness, excellent electrical insulation properties; It has good acid solubility, low cation exchange capacity, good fire resistance and other physical and chemical properties.

Its pure kaolin is white, delicate, soft soil, with good plasticity and fire resistance and other physical and chemical properties. Its mineral composition is mainly composed of kaolinite, Eloite, hydromica, illite, montmorillonite, quartz, feldspar and other minerals. Kaolin is widely used, mainly for paper making, ceramics and refractory materials, followed by paint, rubber fillers, enamel glaze and white cement raw materials, a small amount of plastic, paint, pigments, grinding wheels, pencils, daily cosmetics, soap, pesticides, medicine, textile, petroleum, chemical, building materials, national defense and other industrial sectors.

Since ancient civilization, humans have applied mining techniques when mining rocks and minerals on Earth’s surface. The importance of minerals in our everyday lives can be recognized all around us. From eating nutrient-rich foods to powering smartphones with copper, almost everything we use is a mineral resource. Here are a few common ways we use minerals today.

Of the ninety two elements found in the Earth, forty of them are used in our daily lives. Some of the names are common and well known, and others seem obscure until one sees that it helps create something we cannot live without.

In 2014 a researcher noticed some unusual spots on the rock of a volcanic outcrop in Western Australia. Under a microscope the spots were identified as a brand-new mineral, eventually named putnisite. Headlines celebrated the discovery’s unique chemical properties and translucent, purple crystalized structure. Every detail of its composition was catalogued among a long list of the world’s known minerals.

The importance of minerals in everyday life is hardly recognized by the vast majority of people. According to the U.S. Bureau of Mines, the average person consumes or uses 40,000 pounds of minerals every year. Over the course of a lifetime, an individual will use more than 1,050 pounds of lead, 1,050 pounds of zinc, 1,750 pounds of copper, 4,550 pounds of aluminum, 91,000 pounds of iron and steel, 360,500 pounds of coal, and one million pounds of industrial minerals such as limestone, clay, and gravel.

Minerals are all around us and even within us. Consider iron in your blood or calcium in your bones. While humans have always sought food products, we’ve always used rocks. Our ancestors used cobbles as hammers to crack nuts. We later learned to use obsidian, chert, and flint to knap knives and spear points and to spark fire. We’ve moved on from the Stone Age to the Copper, Bronze, and Iron Ages. Minerals and related earth resources continue to enable contemporary life and the built environment in which we live. They include metals, nonmetallic minerals, and fossil fuels. How little we appreciate this fact of life!

Many people think minerals and vitamins are the same, but they are not. Minerals, like vitamins, are important nutrients found in foods. The main difference is that vitamins are organic substances (meaning that they contain the element carbon) and minerals are inorganic substances. Minerals are needed for many things in addition to eating them in the form of nutrients in foods. The iron and copper in cookware or tools are the same minerals found in food. That is why cooking in a cast iron skillet can provide iron in the diet. When cooking food in an iron skillet, a little bit of the iron comes off and mixes with the food. People can absorb and use it just like iron that is already in food. Minerals are the most permanent part of living things. They do not burn, and, in fact, they can be found in the ashes of something that has burned.

Other minerals used in skincare products include iron, titanium, gold, silver, and many others. In our online shop Organic Store, you can always find affordable skincare products with minerals produced by natural and organic cosmetic brands. At Organic Store, we offer a wide range of skin and hair care products, convenient payment methods, and international delivery to most countries.

Industrial minerals are used, either in processed or natural state, to make building materials, paint, ceramics, glass, plastics, paper, electronics, detergents, medications and medical devices, and many more industrial and domestic products.Do you know what industrial minerals are? You may not know them, but they permeate nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Industrial minerals are used, either in processed or natural state, to make building materials, paint, ceramics, glass, plastics, paper, electronics, detergents, medications and medical devices, and many more industrial and domestic products.According to the Industrial Minerals Association of North America, every American consumes about 24 tons of industrial minerals each year.

A mineral is a chemical compound which has a definite chemical composition, inorganic and solid in nature. It is a naturally occurring compound. It is inorganic and has an ordered internal structure. Mineralogy is the study of minerals. Gemstones like diamonds, emeralds and sapphires which are produced in industries are identical and hence are called man-made minerals. Minerals are those elements on the earth and in foods that our bodies need to develop and function normally.

'It is really important that we all understand where the raw materials come from, that metals and minerals are in the Earth where nature puts them. They don't come from a factory, and the supply is dispersed around the world where sometimes business and environmental practices aren't the best.'Richard hopes that by learning where these valuable resources come from and how they are being extracted, people will place more value on what they already have, understand the environmental (and human) cost of cheap electronics, reduce their own waste and make choices that in turn force manufacturers to lift their standards. 

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