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How ION-MIN Works
ION-MIN®: Grade and Quality Chart
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To provide you with the finest Calcium Montmorillonite - Bentonite powder possible, the mineral material in our products undergoes a safe, non-chemical separation process into grades to meet the needs of various markets. The larger particles are removed and we keep only the very fine, colloidal particulate of differing levels of fineness. But it is important to remember that as with all natural products, particle sizes vary within any sample. And traditional measurements of grade are inadequate for such size variations as well as the proportion of extremely small crystals that are in ION-MIN®.
Traditional measures of grade are called "mesh-size". But mesh size only tells you the largest particle sizes that have been removed from the product, not how much is smaller, or how small the smallest particles are. Since effectiveness of the ionic and remineralization power increases with smaller crystal particles, the consumer is left without a good way to compare products. As a consumer, you should at least know what the ratios of fineness are for each product. If the vendor can't tell you, they haven't bothered to measure the fineness of their product.
To find out how much of our material is ultra-fine, we analyzed ION-MIN® using a “Standard Test Method for Particle Size Analysis”. This standard method is issued under designation D22-63, (reapproved 1990), of the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). The determinations of average tested clays were as follows:
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Making the GradeWe believe ION-MIN® is much finer than many other clay mineral compounds we’re aware of on the market. But averages can be misleading. Our ION-MIN® grades contain a very high percentage of extremely small, nano-sized particulate and even sub-nanometric molecules. With over 60% of any amount of our mid-grade product being under 2 microns, the average particle size of the most functional portion of our products cannot be traditionally measured. Such particles are nanometric and measured in angstroms (the smallest unit of measure). |
We produce five grades of ION-MIN®
- Grade A1: Ultra-Fine, all powder below 450 mesh; 75% of the compound consists of sub-micronic sized (< 2 microns) particles. From lowest—Most protected layers of the mine; used for facial and skin applications.
- Grade A2: Extremely Fine, all powder below 350 mesh; 70% of the compound consists of sub-micronic-sized particles (< 2 microns). From lowest—Most protected layers of the mine; used for edible supplements.
- Grade A3: Very Fine; slight amount of small silica particles. All powder below 200 mesh; 60% of the compound consists of sub-micronic-sized particles (< 2 microns); used for water clarification, pain relief packs, and hydrotherapy products.
- Grade B1: Fine; some silica particulate. All powder below 180 mesh; 50% of the compound consists of sub-micronic-sized particles (< 2 microns); used for animal feed and animal health supplements.
- Grade B2: Fine, blended silica particles. All powder is mixed and some particulate is slightly over 200 mesh size, mixed with extremely fine powder; 40% of the total volume is sub-micronic-sized particles; used for soil supplements.
Information provided here is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Only your healthcare provider should diagnose your healthcare problems and prescribe treatment.
Statements regarding dietary supplements are provided solely to offer our customers additional information about alternative medicine. No health claims for these products have been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), nor has the FDA approved these products to diagnose, cure or prevent disease. You should consult your healthcare provider before starting any course of treatment.
