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Abstract
The main purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the European market for bentonite, a clay mineral with a wide range of industrial applications. The paper outlines some of the main uses of bentonite to gain a context in which the values of bentonite as an economic mineral can be understood. In addition, the paper examines the global geography of bentonite production and briefly addresses the world market and directions of trade. We focus on the recent years and attempt to shed light on where bentonite is produced, the direction of major trade flows and the main drivers of the European market.
Acknowledgements
Valuable help from Patrik Söderholm, Professor of Economics, Luleå University of Technology, is gratefully acknowledged by the author.
Notes
1. Clem and Doehler (Citation1961) report that the name bentonite was given to the clay mineral as early as 1848, while the European Bentonite Producers Association (EUBA Citation2008) reports the year to be 1898.
2. FOB price, or free on board price, is the price of an exported good including costs for transporting and loading the good onto the buyer's vessel or vehicle.
3. By interregional trade we mean trade between major regions, such as, for instance, North America and Europe.
4. Commonwealth of Independent States, essentially the former Soviet Union.
5. That is, trade between European countries, such as exports of bentonite from Greece to Sweden. Major ‘overseas’ suppliers of bentonite to the European market are commented on briefly in the text.
6. At least not to the British Geological Survey, who is our source for country-level production data.