Mexico Attapulgite Market Outlook

attapulgite, also known as palygorskite, is a fine-grained hydrous clay distributed widely in mexico. it is used in the manufacture of molecular sieves, rubber additives, foundry sand, and catalysts. according to a study published by the american society of agricultural and biological engineers in 2018, mexico is the fifth-largest attapulgite producer in the world and accounts for total global production of approximately 4%. the outlook of the market for attapulgite in mexico is promising as the demand for attapulgite is rising in mexican industries such as poultry, oil extraction, paper production, and road construction. attapulgite is used as a red clay for road construction and a slurry of attapulgite is used in poultry to preserve the feathers of chickens. in addition, mexico’s pharmaceutical industry is the largest market for attapulgite as it is utilized in preparations such as gas chromatography and drug formulations in high-end german products. furthermore, attapulgite is also employed as absorbents and thickening agents. in recent years, mexico has seen a tremendous amount of investment in the mining of attapulgite and this indicates that mexico has the potential to increase its supply of attapulgite to meet the growing demand. the state of guerrero, mexico has emerged as the leading production hub for attapulgite clay and advanced technologies are utilized to ensure smooth production. moreover, due to the low cost of attapulgite in mexico, its commercial use in the global market is increasing, as it is a preferred ingredient in various industries. furthermore, high quality super absorbent polymers (sap) are produced with materials including attapulgite which is utilized by the mexican medical industry. overall, the outlook for the mexico attapulgite market is positive. an increasing number of mexican industries such as construction, pharmacy and poultry are incorporating attapulgite into their operations and as a result, the demand for attapulgite is expected to rise in the coming years. consequently, investments in the attapulgite industry are also expected to increase in the near future as attapulgite production is still relatively low compared to its commercial demand.