What is vermiculite?

What is vermiculite? The vermiculite mineral comes from the Latin word with the meaning of "worm-like" and "worm-like". When vermiculite is suddenly heated to 200 to 300 ° C, it will produce worm-like spalls along the c-axis of its crystal, and thus it has acquired its name. Vermiculite is a layered structure of magnesium-containing hydroaluminosilicate secondary metamorphic minerals. The shape of the original ore is mica, and it is usually mainly formed by the hydrothermal alteration or weathering of black (gold) mica. When the water swells, it shows a flex shape and resembles a leech, so it is called vermiculite.
Vermiculite is a clay mineral similar to montmorillonite. It is a layered silicate. Biotite is usually formed by hydrothermal alteration or weathering. It sometimes appears as coarse biotite (this is the vermiculite biotite illusion), and sometimes it becomes slightly soil-like. When vermiculite is heated to 300 ° C, it can expand 20 times and bend. At this time, the vermiculite was a bit like a water marsh (commonly known as a magpie), so it had such a name. Vermiculite is generally brown, yellow, dark green, has an oily luster, and turns gray after heating. Vermiculite can be used as a building material, an adsorbent, a fire-proof insulation material, a mechanical lubricant, a soil improver, and the like, and has a wide range of uses.
Vermiculite can be divided into vermiculite flakes and expanded vermiculite according to the stage. According to color classification, it can be divided into golden yellow vermiculite, silver-white vermiculite, and milky vermiculite.

Vermiculite flakes can rapidly expand 6-20 times in volume after high temperature roasting, and the specific gravity after expansion is 60-180kg / m3, which has strong heat insulation performance.