Bentonite is an absorbent Aluminium Silicate Clay mineral formed from Volcanic Ash & used in various Adhesive, Cement & Ceramic Fillers. Different varieties of Bentonite exist, with different dominant elements, namely, potassium, sodium, calcium and aluminium.

Bentonite is usually sourced from weathering of volcanic ash, reacting with water in its surroundings. Commercially, two classes of Bentonite are popular, the sodium dominant bentonite and the calcium dominant bentonite.

Major industrial uses of bentonite include drilling mud, binding, purifying and adsorption as a ground water barrier.

The main use of calcium carbonate is in the construction industry, either as a building material or limestone aggregate for road building or as an ingredient of cement or as the starting material for the preparation of builder's lime by burning in a kiln. However, because of weathering mainly caused by acid rain,[17] calcium carbonate (in limestone form) is no longer used for building purposes on its own, but only as a raw/primary substance for building materials.

Occurring naturally in rocks as calcite and aragonite minerals and in shells of mollusc sea creatures such as snails and pearls, Calcium carbonate is abundantly found in the environment and nature.

This compound has multiple applications, from acting as a Calcium supplement to being used as agricultural lime. Construction also employs this material as building mass, post burning in a kiln. Purification of iron, sealing filter cakes and refining sugar are among other applications of Calcium carbonate. Another interesting use is as blackboard chalk. Swimming pools also use this compound to maintain alkalinity. Matt emulsion paints rely heavily on Calcium carbonate for the final matt effect. Apart from these uses, Calcium Carbonate is also applied in the cosmetic industry.

Modern construction uses calcite in the form of limestone and marble to produce cement and concrete. These materials are easily mixed, transported and placed in the form of a slurry that will harden into a durable construction material.

Primarily consisting of carbonate, Calcite is calcium carbonate’s most stable polymorph. Other polymorphs include aragonite and vaterite.

Calcite occurs in several forms besides the regular structure, as fibrous, granular, lamellar or compact forms.

Today, Calcite is used in construction, soil remediation, soil stabilization and concrete repair.

A combination of saccharides (simple carbohydrates), liquid glucose is manufactured from different sources via a strict cycle of vacuum evaporation and refining process. The resulting solution can vary in transparency, from transparent and colourless to semi-viscous aqueous yellow. Liquid glucose is versatile in its cooking

applications imparting form, body, consistency and resistance against discolouration to food products. Most hard candies are made of liquid glucose, along with chewing gums, mouth fresheners, biscuits, cakes and pies. Another important use of liquid glucose is binding in construction and building.

Primarily a polysaccharide, malto dextrin is most commonly used as a food additive. Widely present in soft drinks, candies and other processed food, this hygroscopic food additive is a white spray-dried powder that is either partially sweet or flavourless.

Malto dextrin is extracted from starch, usually corn starch or wheat starch, using an enzymatic process. The derivative largely finds application in breweries in improving the wetness of beer. Sacks like potato chips, jerky, peanut butter are given their texture by use of this product. Malto dextrin also acts as nutrition supplement in several food products as it can be easily digested. Apart from extensive uses in the food industry, malto dextrin is also used in the construction industry.

Carbohydrates of low-molecular weight, dextrins are obtained by the hydrolysis of glycogen or starch. Essentially dextrins are long chains of D-glucose units bridged by glycosidic bonds.

Dextrins are available in multiple forms, as white, yellow or brown powders that are vary in their degree of solubility. Most dextrins yield optically active solutions of low viscosity. White and yellow dextrins manufactured from starch with little to no acid are termed as ‘British Gum’.

Yellow dextrins find application as water-soluble glues and additives in sand casting used in the construction industry.