Ashapura Volclay Limited (AVL), an Indo-American-Japanese joint venture, has been established  to set up a state-of-the-art plant to manufacture Acid Activated Bleaching Earth in India. The joint venture is in technical collaboration with Mizusawa Industrial Chemicals Ltd., the largest producer of Activated Bleaching Earth in Japan. Till date, the product branded as GALLEON was being  manufactured only in Japan. The product is well known internationally as the Galleon Brand, and is widely used as a refining and bleaching agent for various vegetable oils, fatty acids, petroleum, lubricating oils and waxes.

With the opening up of the Indian economy, AMCOL International Corporation of USA, the largest producer of value added Bentonite products worldwide, was keen to establish its presence in India, preferably as a Joint Venture. To pursue manufacturing and marketing of value added Bentonite products and its applications in India, AMCOL found a strategic business partner in Ashapura Minechem Limited (AML).

Volclay International (VI), as AMCOL's investment arm, entered into a Joint Venture with Ashapura Minechem Limited (AML). Ashapura Voclay Limited (AVL) was thus setup to reap the benefits of the combined resources of both  groups. 

The Joint Venture is engaged in the following activities:

• Manufacture of value added Bentonite products.

• Supply of high quality, value added Bentonite products  like acid activated Bleaching Earth to various industries in India including developing and promoting new applications for the products. 

• Export of Bentonite Products including Bleaching Earth.

This alliance has given AMCOL's international marketing expertise and Mizusawa's technological inputs to the Indian business, helping it to produce superior quality products to displace those currently being imported in India by the end users.

Over the years, various new Bentonite products have been developed and new end applications for these products have been identified. Bleaching Earth is one of the main value added Bentonite products to be manufactured under the umbrella of the Joint Venture. Bleaching Earth is widely used as a refining agent for various animal and vegetable oils, fats, fatty acids, lubricating oils and waxes.

The technology required for this product is available with very few companies in the world. A Technology License Agreement has been entered into with Mizusawa Industrial Chemicals Limited (MICL) of Japan for transfer of filterless technology for the production of Bleaching Earth. MICL has permitted use of its brand name, "Galleon" by Ashapura Volclay Limited.

Ashapura Volclay Ltd. (AVL), a joint venture between Ashapura Minechem Ltd. (the flagship company of the Ashapura Group) and Volclay International (the investment arm of AMCOL, USA) has set up Indias first geosynthetic clay liners (GCL) plant in Bhuj, in Kutch district of Gujarat. AVL will manufacture & market GCL under technological collaboration with Colloid Environmental Technologies Company (CETCO), a subsidiary of AMCOL and a recognised world leader in GCL technology. CETCOs expertise related to GCL spans three decades across the globe. AVL lays claim to being Indias largest manufacturer of bleaching clay & other value-added clays and also produces the world renowned Galleon brand of bleaching clay. AVLs new state-of-the-art plant is the only one of its kind to manufacture GCL product in India, said a company press release. The unit will manufacture 6-7-mn sq. metres of GCL to meet the demands of the vast Indian market. Commercial production has already commenced at the plant, the release added.