On this page you will find more information about how to repair penetrated or damaged clay layers using clay and bentonite minerals. For this purpose, Agiva offers mainly the following 4 products.

MIKOLIT 00

Mikolit® 00 serves as the foundation for all other Mikolit® products. A granule of high quality clay with sufficient swelling capacity and a low adhesive rate. Excellent for closing off excavations and drill holes when extracting ground water, for ground energy installations, for source drainage and for pulse drilling while conducting ground sanitation operations.

Swelling capacity, the pellet form, the avoidance of dust between the clay pellets and the zinc property were the pillars in the development of Mikolit®.

Sufficient swelling capacity

The space between sealing pellets is 45 to 50 percent of the total volume. This means that a doubling of the pellet volume is needed to fill the entire space. Mikolit® 00 amply meets this requirement. After the gap has been filled, the pellets still have a swelling capacity of about 30 per cent left.

Removal of dust

It is required to remove all dust from the sealing pellets. Not only because it is too unhealthy for a working environment, but also because it causes the sinking capacity of the pellets to decrease. The reason for this is that water absorbs dust particles, and that increases viscosity. The rate of pellet recirculation is therefore reduced.

Shape of clay granules

Shape turned out to be an important factor in the development of Mikolit® clay: a slightly elongated granule with rounded tips proves to have an optimal sinking capacity.

Sinking Capacity

One of the most important properties of clay granules. Even the best quality clay lacks isolating properties, if it’s placed in a wrong spot. There is a danger of ‘bridge formation’ for clay that starts adhering to the drilling tools, or swelling as soon as it comes in contact with water. Clay granules start sticking to the drill hole even before they reach the right place at the right depth. There arises a wad of clay, the space under which is not filled. It is crucial, when conducting pulse drilling operations, to make sure that clay granules do not stick to the tube; when pulling out the tube, the accumulated clay is likely to be dragged up to the surface.

The quality of Mikolit® 00 clay meets all requirements mentioned above. A solid, somewhat soft clay layer is created when granules become saturated with water. Bordering with, for instance, coarse grinding filler, clay can penetrate through the grinding layer. A supporting layer of coarse sand between the grinding layer and the clay layer is therefore recommended.

MIKOLIT 300

Mikolit® 300 has all the qualities of Mikolit® 00, reinforced with a higher swelling capacity rate. Instead of doubling in size, Mikolit® 300 clay quadruples in volume. Results: a stronger and more dry layer of swelling clay is produced, whereby self-restoring properties are increased. This type of clay granules are suitable for all repair works of any water isolating layers when extracting ground water, installing ground energy systems, and conducting source drainage and ground sanitation operations.

Mikolit® 300 is just as suitable for processing as the 00 version. Clay granules are dust free and sink well. Clay granules are usable for pulse drilling operations as well, however, some of it does stick to tubes. Applying a layer of coarse sand between clay and coarse grinding is recommended. Mikolit® 300 has a perviousness of 10-11 m/s, which is significantly lower than Mikolit® 00. Both types of clay are so much less pervious than any naturally existing clays.

for more information on the various applications: www.mikolit.nl

QSE pellets

QSE is a 100% natural swelling clay product for ‘quick’ closing of ground water sources. QSE is an extremely strong bentonite, and due to its high swelling capacity and swelling pressure, it can be applied in saturated, as well as less saturated areas

QSM pellets

QSM is a cylindrical rod-shaped calcium bentonite made from 100% activated sodium and has a medium swelling capacity. This product is mainly used for sealing groundwater wells.

OCMA pellets

 OCMA is a specially selected sodium activated bentonite. This is a bentonite that can be used for almost all applications, it has a low moisture loss and is easy to recycle. 

(MSDS on request)