@Photon_noir have you experienced chromatographic effects with the opaline silica? In other words, does it slow down molecules based on polarity or does it simply adsorb molecules completely until all it’s binding sites are full?
7 Likes
Got some samples coming myself!
1 Like
Anyone found a Canadian supplier for this? Or one that can get some in my hands within a week?
1 Like
First of all, thanks for everything you do for us.
I don’t see any mention of before and after weight of the media, did you collect that data by any chance? I’m curious about what kind of potential yield loss you experienced with this new media.
Also, how was the flow rate through the 6x26 column (6x23" of media)? Did it require any substantial back pressure like a packed bed of very fine grained media we currently use?
I’m assuming the flow rate was pretty good considering the media is a medium grain size which should flow much better than the very fine grain size of the more common medias currently used.
For anyone who hasn’t figured out what the media is I included some screen shots of what I believe we are talking about.
I think hydrous aluminosilicate is clearly what we’re after based on what Photon has mentioned and the pics he posted. It’s mined in Taft, CA by Agsorb (a subsidiary of Oil Dri) and is also a silicate product. I attached a couple screen shots from the company’s (Agsorb) website.
@Photon_noir mentioned a granule size of 8/30 but I don’t see that listed on Agsorb’s website. They have three grain sizes and I’m guessing he meant 16/30 which is the medium grain size. The second and third screenshots are from the data sheet for that size.
The company actually has a decent website and I suggest going and checking out all the tabs to get complete info.
I would also suggest to the forum that if this is indeed the mineral we are after that we start using the proper name for it: Hydrous Aluminosilicate. I believe this is more specific than saying opaline silica.
4 Likes
Call oil dry ask for their rep in canada
Ask for a sample they send me 2kg free of charge 
8 Likes
So do i have to call oil dri to order this or is it on their website?
Where are you located ?
In general for Europe and Canada
You can call them and they will pass you treu to their representative
Sergio is europes main man for sales
Working out of Ireland
Once you spoken to the representative you ask for a sample for some tests
On organic oil (I didn t tell them 
What oil ) they will then send a sample by mail
Im in california…
I haven’t tried chromatographic filtration with opaline silica, except in the form of hydrated DE, as shown. I suspect it would yield a similar result, especially since the particle size distribution would be very broad after just pulverizing the granules. That is why the bands are so broad and uneven in the photo, too.
I should mention this was only an experiment with hydrated food safe DE to see what happened. Because it was not genuine chromatography, but a filtration of hexane:resin solution, only the first bit (about 1 column liquid volume) to elute was decolorized due to the chromatographic separation. After that, because the resin was spread throughout the solvent, any subsequent volumes to elute contained much of the color from the preceding volumes… though there did appear to be some permanent absorption, because the column eventually stopped working to decolor at all.
1 Like
You’re welcome, @Tech1145! 
I mentioned somewhere up there why I did not measure the before and after mass of the media. It’s in a post.
There is definitely some confusion as to what I am talking about, even with my Oil Dri representative. It certainly confuses me! The problem lies in the fact that the best stuff I found was NOT an Agsorb brand product… It was a plain old generic Oil Dri granulated material that I found in certain bags, purchased locally or via internet.
The only identifying features of these bags were that they:
1. Did NOT say “Montmorillonite” anywhere on the bag, and
2. had “TA” in their serial numbers
…which the rep told me indeed meant Taft mine, in California!
I think I posted those photos above. See the notated pics of brown paper sacks.
7 Likes
@Photon_noir, anyone… so it seems my rep is having a hard time id’ing this stuff. Hes telling me the product is not in his division, trying to send me ultraclear. Any chance you could help with some more keywords so I can lock some down please? ive sent him the pix you’ve posted in the thread to no avail…
3 Likes
Yeah apparently it’s like finding a golden ticket and you have to search through different bags…makes no sense to me.
4 Likes
Golden ticket you say?
SPD rig?
Full bore laminar flow vac connection?!?
edit: the movie was actually playing when I read @Rainbowp3nis’s “Golden Ticket” comparison!! I grabbed that still maybe 20min earlier.
13 Likes
Looks familiar🤔
That CA tag suggests it’s from the correct hole in the ground…
3 Likes
Got it from Tom the rep. gonna test this weekend
3 Likes
I offered to pay for all of it. but he said don’t worry about it. just got the sample though
5 Likes
@Kingofthekush420 I got some for you to play with hopefully it’s the right batch- I noticed there may be a specific mine the good good comes from
It appears to be In pellet form but I have a particle size analyzer I picked up at an auction that we can use to mesh it just gotta grab it from San Jose
We can run all sorts of tests on performance lol got plenty of material to run now
1 Like