What does vermiculite look like?
Vermiculite is a kind of clay mineral similar to montmorillonite, which is a layered structure of silicate. Usually formed by hydrothermal alteration or weathering of biotite. It sometimes appears as large biotite (this is the biotite illusion of vermiculite) and sometimes becomes slightly soil like. When the vermiculite is heated to 300 degrees centigrade, it expands 20 times and bends. This is a bit like a leech vermiculite (commonly known as the leech), so it has such a name. Vermiculite is usually brown, yellow, dark green, oil like luster, heated to gray. Vermiculite can be used as building materials, adsorbents, fire insulation materials, mechanical lubricants, soil amendments, and so on. It has a wide range of uses.
Vermiculite is a natural, non-toxic mineral that expands at high temperatures. It is a relatively rare mineral, belonging to silicates. Its crystalline structure is monoclinic, and it looks like mica from its appearance. Vermiculite is produced by hydration of certain granite. It is commonly produced with asbestos. Because vermiculite has the ability of ion exchange, it has a great effect on the nutrition of the soil. In 2000, the total output of vermiculite in the world exceeded 500 thousand tons. The major producers are China, South Africa, Australia, Zimbabwe and the United states.
Vermiculite (Vermiculite) (Mg, Ca) 0.3-0.45 (H2O) n{(Mg, Fe3, Al) 3[(Si, Al) 4O12] (OH) 2} Vermiculite from Latin, with a "worm" and "worm trail shaped.". The vermiculite is suddenly heated to 200 to 300 degrees Celsius and produces a worm like exfoliation along the c axis of its crystal. Thus, it has its name. Vermiculite is a layered structure containing magnesium aluminum silicate water secondary metamorphic minerals, ore shape like mica, usually consist mainly of black mica (gold) by hydrothermal alteration and weathering, because of the heat expansion was loss of deflection shape patterns similar to leech, called vermiculite.
