Bentonite

What Bentonite does

Bentonite Group of Companies (ГК «Бентонит») is a privately held Russian industrial minerals group that mines and processes bentonite clay across 10 owned deposits in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, and operates 11 manufacturing factories with combined annual capacity of 1.5 million tons. Total reserves exceed 80 million tons, supporting more than 100 years of production at current extraction levels. The group's portfolio spans three business layers: industrial bulk bentonite (foundry moulding, iron ore pelletizing binders, drilling fluids for oil and gas, HDD products, civil engineering powders, geosynthetic clay liners for waterproofing, and bentonite for radioactive waste disposal); branded consumer and specialty products (Pi-Pi Bent, Kotyara, SiSiCat, and Little Friends cat litters; organic-agriculture mycotoxin adsorbents; winemaking aids BentoVinum, Bentovin, and Vinobent); and pharmaceutical/dietary supplement products centered on the Tagansorbent line of enterosorbents derived from the Taganskoye deposit's high-purity (up to 98% montmorillonite) sodium-calcium-magnesium bentonite.

The underlying technology is bentonite clay extraction and mineral processing, leveraging selective extraction methods with detailed distribution of raw materials by application area. The group performs geological and process mapping prior to and during mining, and operates a primary modification site for activating calcium-magnesium bentonites with soda ash to approximate natural sodium bentonite properties. In-house R&D is conducted through two research institutes (IOTTIMS and Altai Geological and Ecological Institute) plus a physico-chemical clay mineral laboratory. Holdings of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, IQNet, and Rosatom Production System certifications reflect enterprise-grade quality and environmental management.

The business model is sales-led B2B for industrial products (quote-based pricing, multi-year contracts, unit pricing, bulk shipment by railway, road, river, and sea from 7 production sites plus a Moscow-region warehouse), and B2B/B2C through retail chains for branded cat litter. Revenue also includes professional services revenue from waterproofing (Stroygidroizolyatsiya) and protective coatings with technology implementation (SpetsPolimer). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Customers include iron ore producers, foundries, oil and gas companies, construction firms, agricultural enterprises, wineries, retail chains, and pharmaceutical/healthcare buyers across Russia, CIS, and selected export markets. Founded 2000; headquartered in Moscow at Tverskaya st., 12/1.

Name

Bentonite

Legal name

ООО «Компания Бентонит»

Website

https://bentonit.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bentonite Group of Companies is a privately held Russian industrial minerals group that mines and processes bentonite clay across 10 deposits and 11 factories in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, serving industrial customers in metallurgy, foundry, oil and gas, construction, and agriculture, plus consumer and pharmaceutical markets through branded cat litter, winemaking aids, and Tagansorbent enterosorbents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Minerals and Bentonite Mining

NAICS

Kaolin, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining (212323), Ground or Treated Mineral and Earth Manufacturing (327992)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400), Abrasive, Asbestos & Misc Nonmetallic Mineral Prods (3290)

akta.pro primary industry

Kaolin & Industrial Clay Mining (Bentonite, Ball Clay, Fuller’s Earth) (IMAKAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bentonite & Other Smectite Clays (IMAEAFAE), Mycotoxin Binders & Detoxifiers (Clays, Yeast Cell Wall) (AFADALAH), Mineral/Particulate Thickeners (Silicates, Clays, Calcium Carbonate as texturizers) (AFAJAMAJ)

Keywords

• Bentonite mining
• Industrial minerals processing
• Foundry bentonite binders
• Drilling fluid bentonite
• Clumping cat litter

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Bentonite clay products sales: Core revenue from mining and processing bentonite clay into various products for industrial applications including iron ore production, foundry, drilling, construction, waterproofing, agriculture, winemaking, and cat litter. The group operates 11 factories and processes up to 1.5 million tons annually.
2. Cat litter products: Sale of branded cat litter products under own brands (Pi-Pi Bent, Kotyara, SiSiCat, Little Friends) and private labels for retail chains through Trading House Leading LLC.
3. Protective coatings: SpetsPolimer SPA provides complete protection coating solutions including materials, technology implementation, employee training, works performance, technical documentation, and consulting services.
4. Waterproofing services: Stroygidroizolyatsiya LLC provides comprehensive waterproofing services including impervious screen creation, landfill construction, foundation waterproofing, tank waterproofing, and injection restoration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bentonite Group mines and processes bentonite clay (montmorillonite mineral) at 10 deposits across Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan and converts it into a diversified portfolio of finished products. Industrial offerings include bentonite powders and granules for iron ore pelletizing, foundry moulding, oil and gas drilling fluids, and horizontal directional drilling; BentIzol and MASTERBENT geosynthetic clay liners for waterproofing; clay powders, BENTINJECT, and BENTOMIX for civil engineering; ORGANOBENT and the NEOBENT specialty line for paints, coatings, paper, ceramics, water treatment, and construction mixtures; and bentonite for nuclear waste disposal barriers. Consumer, agricultural, food, and pharmaceutical offerings include branded clumping cat litter (Pi-Pi Bent, Kotyara, SiSiCat, Little Friends), winemaking aids (BentoVinum Gold, Bentovin, Vinobent), feed additives and mycotoxin adsorbents, and Tagansorbent-based enterosorbents.

Product overview

Bentonite Group of Companies is a mining and processing enterprise specializing in bentonite clay, a montmorillonite-based natural mineral. The company operates as a diversified industrial minerals group offering a comprehensive portfolio of products across multiple segments. The core offering consists of bentonite clay for industrial applications including iron ore pelletizing, foundry moulding, oil and gas drilling (HDD), waterproofing (BentIzol, MASTERBENT geosynthetic clay liners), construction (PBM powders, BENTINJECT, BENTOMIX), and nuclear waste disposal. The consumer products division includes branded cat litters under Pi-Pi Bent, Kotyara, SiSiCat, and Little Friends brands in bentonite, vegetable, wood, and silica gel variants. The food processing segment provides winemaking aids (BentoVinum Gold, Vinobent, Bentovin) for wine clarification. Agricultural products include feed additives (Afluxid) and mycotoxin adsorbents. The pharmaceutical division produces Tagansorbent-based enterosorbents. Industrial specialty products include NEOBENT variants (CM, PV, OW, LK, B, C) for construction, coatings, water treatment, paper, and ceramics applications. ORGANOBENT provides organophilic bentonite for paints and oil/gas applications. The group operates 11 manufacturing plants across Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan with 10 deposits providing raw material security.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pi-Pi Bent®: Cat litter brand including Pi-Pi Bent® Deluxe, Pi-Pi Bent® Classic variants
• Kotyara®
• SiSiCat®
• Little Friends®
• BentIzol®
• MASTERBENT®
• Tagansorbent®
• NEOBENT
• ORGANOBENT®
• BENTINJECT®
• BENTOMIX®
• BentoVinum Gold®
• Bentovin®
• Vinobent®
• Afluxid®
• MaxiSorb®
• ToxiNon®
• BioVentum®
• Bioelement®

Products and services

• Bentonite for Iron Ore Production Bentonite clay used as a binding agent in iron ore pellets and raw materials for steel production, sold to iron ore producers and steel mills.
• Bentonite for Foundry Bentonite used as a binder in moulding mixtures for metal casting production, sold to foundries.
• Bentonite for Oil and Gas Industry Bentonite powders for drilling fluids used in oil and gas well drilling operations.
• I-Bent Series (I-Bent-L, I-Bent-H, I-Bent Base) for Horizontal Directional Drilling Specialized bentonite product series formulated for horizontal directional drilling (HDD) applications.
• BentIzol and MASTERBENT Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs) Geosynthetic clay liners for waterproofing applications in landfills, reservoirs, and construction projects.
• Clay Powders (PBM-18, PBM-20, PBM-22) Bentonite clay powders for use in construction mixtures and civil engineering applications.
• BENTINJECT Bentonite-based injection product for waterproofing and sealing in construction applications.
• BENTOMIX Bentonite mixture product for waterproofing applications in construction.
• Bentonite for Radioactive Waste Disposal Bentonite clay products for use in deep disposal facilities and engineering safety barriers for nuclear waste management.
• ORGANOBENT Organophilic bentonite rheological additive for organically-diluted paints, coatings, and oil and gas industry applications.
• Tagansorbent Pharmaceutical and Dietary Supplement Line Pharmaceutical products based on sodium-calcium-magnesium montmorillonite (bentonite) from Taganskoye deposit for entorosorption therapy, including Tagansorbent base product, Tagansorbent with silver ions, Tagansorbent with potassium ions, Tagangel Aiya gel, and related supplements such as Smectite-Plus Inulin, Sorb-Sorb, Dailysorb, and Helpsorb.
• Afluxid Feed Additive Antidiarrheal feed additive for young agricultural livestock to prevent and treat diarrhea and replenish electrolytes.
• Mycotoxin Adsorbents (MaxiSorb, ToxiNon) Bentonite-based adsorbents (MaxiSorb, ToxiNon) for binding mycotoxins in animal and bird feed.
• BentoVinum Gold Winemaking Aid Sodium bentonite from the Tagansky deposit used for protein stabilization and clarification of white and red wines.
• Vinobent Winemaking Aid Calcium bentonite from the 10 Khutor deposit for wine clarification with accelerated precipitation properties.
• Bentovin Winemaking Aid Sodium bentonite from the Dash-Salakhly deposit for wine clarification with high protein binding capacity.
• Pi-Pi Bent Branded Clumping Cat Litter Premium and classic clumping bentonite cat litter under the Pi-Pi Bent brand, including DeLuxe variants (Classic, Clean Cotton, Fresh grass, Magic white) and Pi-Pi Bent Classic for consumer retail sale.
• Kotyara Clumping Cat Litter Clumping cat litter with natural mineral formula in Classic, Carbon, and Meadow grass variants, sold under the Kotyara consumer brand.
• SiSiCat Cat Litter Bentonite cat litter under the SiSiCat brand including Original (with blue clay), Traditional, and wood variants.
• Professional Bentonite Cat Litter Cost-effective clumping bentonite cat litter sold for professional breeders and high-volume users.
• Little Friends Premium Cat Litter Line Premium cat litter line including clumping bentonite, vegetable, wood, and silica gel variants under the Little Friends consumer brand.
• NEOBENT Specialty Bentonite Line (CM, PV, OW, LK, B, C) Specialty bentonite clay powder line for construction mixtures (NEOBENT CM), non-stick coatings (NEOBENT PV), water treatment (NEOBENT OW), paint and coatings (NEOBENT LK), paper (NEOBENT B), and ceramics (NEOBENT C) applications.
• SpetsPolimer Protective Coatings Solutions Complete protection coating solutions including coating materials, technology implementation, employee training, works performance, technical documentation, and consulting services for oil, gas, and construction customers.
• Stroygidroizolyatsiya Waterproofing Services Comprehensive waterproofing services including impervious screen creation, landfill construction, foundation waterproofing, tank waterproofing, and injection restoration.

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Retail chain partnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeading LLC develops private label cat litter production for key retail chain players. Monthly receives over 20,000 positive customer feedbacks.
• Scientific and research institutescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIOROST LLC cooperates with leading institutes including Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution North Caucasus Federal Scientific Center for Horticulture, Viticulture, and Winemaking (Krasnodar), K.I. Skryabin Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology, Federal State Budgetary Institution State Center of Agrochemical Service Stavropol for product development.
• Leading oil and gas companiescoreOthersSpetsPolimer SPA protection coatings are included in lists of recommended protection materials of leading oil and gas and construction companies of Russian Federation. Production sites and laboratory have passed industrial qualification tests.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Tolsa Group: Spanish specialty bentonite and mineral additives producer with operations across Europe, serving construction, coatings, agriculture and pet care. Comparable on bentonite-based specialty additives and emphasis on value-added processing beyond raw clay.
• Ashapura Group: Indian industrial minerals group with significant bentonite mining and processing operations supplying foundry, iron ore pelletizing, drilling, cosmetics and cat litter globally. Comparable on multi-deposit bentonite base and application diversification strategy.
• American Colloid Company: Subsidiary of Minerals Technologies Inc and one of the largest North American bentonite producers, supplying Volclay-brand bentonite for foundry, drilling, waterproofing, cat litter and industrial absorbents. Closest publicly disclosed US analog in scale, vertical integration and application breadth.
• Bentonite Performance Minerals: US-based bentonite mining and processing company (formerly part of Halliburton) producing foundry, drilling, iron ore pelletizing and specialty bentonite products. Directly comparable on upstream bentonite extraction, processing capabilities and B2B industrial customer base across similar application areas.
• Wyo-Ben Inc: US bentonite miner headquartered in Wyoming with multiple Wyoming/Montana deposits, supplying API-spec drilling mud bentonite, foundry products, cat litter and specialty grades. Highly comparable as a focused, vertically integrated bentonite producer serving the same industrial application mix.
• Kunimine Industries: Japanese bentonite mining and processing company producing foundry, civil engineering, environmental and pharmaceutical/food grade bentonite. Comparable as a regionally focused bentonite specialist with strong application diversification.
• Laviosa Group: Italian bentonite mining and processing group producing organoclays, foundry bentonite, cat litter (Sanicat brand) and specialty industrial grades. Comparable on vertically integrated bentonite business and branded pet-care extension.

Broad incumbents

• Sibelco: Belgian industrial minerals group with global bentonite, kaolin and specialty clay operations serving foundry, construction, coatings and filtration. Comparable on bentonite applications but operates across a much broader nonmetallic mineral portfolio.
• Imerys: French-listed global specialty minerals leader with bentonite and kaolin operations serving performance additives, filtration and pet care. Comparable on bentonite product portfolio but operates at much larger scale and broader mineral diversity.
• Minerals Technologies Inc: US-listed specialty minerals company whose American Colloid subsidiary is a global bentonite leader and whose portfolio overlaps foundry, drilling, paper, construction and pet care applications. Comparable on bentonite end markets and downstream specialty applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bentonite