Process for making a clay product

摘要

A grease may be made from a lubricating oil and a clay product, e.g. by homogenizing together at 60 DEG to 170 DEG F., the clay product being produced by treating a hydrosol of a base exchange clay with boric acid and applying a waterproofing agent, e.g. an aminoamide, imidazoline, or an organic polymer such as aminoplast, phenoplast or polyepoxy resins. The boric acid is preferably in an amount at least equal to the base-exchange capacity of the clay, which for hectorite, may be 5-50% by wt. of the clay. The treatment with boric acid may be at at least 150 DEG F., preferably at least 190 DEG F. When the waterproofing agent is a polymer, the monomer(s) may be added to the acidified clay and polymerized in situ. Water may be removed from the clay product by evaporation from curds formed by blending with a lubricating oil and separated from the aqueous phase formed.ALSO:A hydrosol of a base-exchange clay is acidified with boric acid, which may be in an amount at least equal to the base-exchange capacity of the dry clay, preferably 5-50% by weight of the clay, prior to treatment with a water-proofing agent, e.g. an amino-amide, or imidazoline, prepared from a fatty acid and a polyethylene polyamine, or an organic polymer such as aminoplast, phenoplast or polyepoxy resins. The product may be used as a thickening agent to make a grease from a lubricating oil, e.g. by homogenizing together at 60-170 DEG F. The clay may have a base-exchange capacity of 60-100 m. equ. of exchangeable base/100 gm. clay, e.g. hectorite. When treating with a polymeric waterproofing agent, the monomeric reactants are added to the clay and the polymer may be prepared therefrom in situ. Water is removed from the product, e.g. by evaporation, preferably from curds formed by blending with a lubricating oil and separated from the aqueous phase also formed.