Turkish Bentonite Manufacturers

Turkish bentonite manufacturers have earned a rightful place in the global bentonite market by operating bentonite clay mines from the past to the present, owing to Turkey’s abundant bentonite clay reserves. Bentonite is a valuable industrial mineral with numerous applications and advantages. Turkey is a regional leader in the manufacturing of natural bentonite, sodium bentonite, calcium bentonite, and activated bentonite.

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Exports of Turkish Bentonite Manufacturers by Type

The export types of Turkish bentonite manufacturers vary based on the capacity of bentonite beds. According to the official Turkish data for 2020, Turkish bentonite was exported for $122 million to various countries.

• Turkey Natural Bentonite: This untreated bentonite is mostly utilized in drilling, agriculture applications, civil engineering, and foundries. It represents approximately 40% of Turkish bentonite exports.
• Sodium Bentonite Turkey: This form of bentonite is mostly composed of sodium montmorillonite, which has a high swelling and gelling capacity. Its primary applications are drilling (or drilling mud), casting, waterproofing, and clarifying. It represents approximately 30% of Turkish bentonite exports.
• Turkey Calcium Bentonite: The major component of this bentonite is calcium montmorillonite, which has a high caking and binding capacity. It is mostly utilized in cat litter, animal feed, cosmetics, and construction. It represents approximately 20% of Turkish bentonite exports.
• Activated Bentonite Turkey: These include activated bentonite, which is treated with chemicals to improve its qualities, such as granulated bentonite (formed into pellets or granules) and milled dried bentonite (ground into a fine powder). These bentonites are utilized in a variety of applications, including cosmetics, pelletizing, foundries, and drilling. They represent approximately 10% of Turkish bentonite exports.

Turkish Bentonite Export Destinations

While the United States and India are the largest bentonite exporters, Turkey is the third largest exporter, primarily to Europe (the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and France). Please keep in mind that this is primarily due to transportation concerns. The United States exports bentonite primarily to Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, and Indonesia, while India primarily exports to Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, and the United Arab Emirates. China is a significant bentonite exporter in the fourth row, while Italy appears to be Turkey’s primary opponent in bentonite exports to Europe in the fifth row.

Bentonite Companies in Turkey

As of February 2021, there are 63 operating licenses for bentonite in Turkey (source: Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association, Status, Management, and Future of Bentonite Deposits). The distribution of these licenses on a provincial basis includes:

• Aksaray: 1 license
• Ankara: 4 licenses
• Balıkesir: 3 licenses
• Bilecik: 1 license
• Çanakkale: 4 licenses
• Çankırı: 11 licenses
• Edirne: 6 licenses
• Eskişehir: 3 licenses
• İstanbul: 3 licenses
• İzmir: 1 license
• Kütahya: 2 licenses
• Manisa: 1 license
• Niğde: 1 license
• Ordu: 14 licenses
• Tekirdağ: 3 licenses
• Tokat: 4 licenses
• Uşak: 1 license

As seen, Ordu and Cankiri are the most important locations in Turkey for bentonite production, and if you are looking for Turkish bentonite manufacturers, you should always check the location of the company before contacting them. These two locations also provide the highest-quality bentonite.

Please note that I added the quarry provinces instead of the headquarters below (the headquarters of Turkish bentonite manufacturers are generally in Ankara, but the production destination is more important information than the headquarter destination).

Samaş Industrial Mines Inc., Resadiye Tokat

Samas Inc. is a Turkish bentonite manufacturer established in 1954. The company has quarries in various regions of Turkey. But the most important one is in Resadiye Tokat, and this quarry has 200,000,000 million tons of reserves and the best quality bentonites in the entire world. According to the available literature, Tokat appears to have the highest rate of montmorillonite in their bentonite clays (above 90%). You may find Karben, an Ankara company, for these quarries as well. I estimate that Karden is the marketing company for Samas. Samas Inc. sells natural bentonite, drilling bentonite, and other drilling chemicals.

Bentas Bentonite Mining Company, Ordu

Bentas is a key player in the mining business among Turkish bentonite manufacturers. The Ünye and Fatsa districts of Ordu have a substantial portion of Turkey’s calcium-character white bentonite reserves. Bentas owns around 60% of these deposits. The company was founded in 2007.

In 2020, I approached this company for my chemical company, and I also had an independent laboratory examine its bentonite. I plan to write a case study soon. All I can say is that you should definitely consider this company while looking for Turkish bentonite manufacturers. I’m glad they finally included a phone number for their own company. In 2020, I had contact with a highly unprofessional marketing manager from Ankara who was continuously lying. They appear to have resolved their managerial issues.

Karakaya Bentonite Industry and Trade Inc., Resadiye Tokat

Founded in 1954, this Turkish bentonite manufacturer has 4 million tons of mineral reserves in 7 mining areas, of which 4 are in Resadiye Tokat. The company has a production capacity of 6500 tons per month. As a miner, exporter, and supplier of sodium bentonite, calcium bentonite, and a specific blend of these clay minerals in Turkey, Karakaya Bentonite Inc. is one of the major Turkish bentonite manufacturers. Please do not confuse this company with Karakaya Mining.

Canbensan Cankiri Bentonite Industry and Trade Inc., Cankiri

Since 1988, this Turkish bentonite manufacturer has provided raw materials in foundries, drilling, civil engineering, and the chemical industry. The defining feature of this company is that it was owned by the Turkish government until 1986. The rate of montmorillonite is around 75%.

Lider Bentonite Cat Litter Packing Company, Ordu

I added this company to the Turkish bentonite manufacturers list because Lider Bentonite is a significant player in terms of packing bentonite for exports. The company has two globally known brands for cat litters: Proline and Reflex. Its daily production capacity is 400 tons. Because of its strategic location, you should consider this company for your cat litter needs.

Conclusion

Turkish Bentonite Manufacturers are worth contacting if you are planning to make a bulk purchase of cat litter, drilling mud, high-quality sodium bentonite, or very high-quality calcium bentonite. Please note that “white calcium bentonite” is manufactured only in Turkey. However, as a person who knows the sector very well, I must warn you that Turkey is weak in processing such high-quality bentonite; therefore, it is a wise idea to consider Turkey as a source of organic bentonite, in other words, natural bentonite, and make sure you contact the right supplier since the level of montmorillonite differs from bed to bed and from location to location.

If you are unfamiliar with Turkish bentonite manufacturers, try Pelotek Sourcing as your sourcing agent in Turkey. With no commission or hidden fee policy, we can provide you with the best experience in product sourcing from Turkey.

Case study: Bentonite clay for detox in Turkey

If you want to learn more about sectors in Turkey, you can check out other posts in the “Sectors in Turkey” category. My next post is “2023 Earthquake Disaster in Turkiye: A Sourcing Agent’s Perspective.”

Frequently Asked Questions on Turkish Bentonite