See my post 19 about GE’s technology - interesting stuff.
Your talk of mud reminds me of a funny story. Some salesman/technician from the company that sold our oil well the bentonite “mud” gave a “lesson” to all of us on how to measure it, calculate how much weight you need, remeasure, etc. (It was a slow day!). After about a half-hour of our “lesson”, our experienced mud man, who had been holding his tongue the entire time, said “So, if I don’t add water, it’s just dirt - right?”
I bet he has never tried to drive on the stuff after a rain...slicker than greased owl dung...and fills your tire treads, too! (We have a few bentonite rich layers in the badlands and the occasional access road has been made on one....)