Patent ID: 8691052

Claim:
A stable, low viscosity, high solids_aqueous slurry composition comprising a) at least one clay or clay-like material selected from the group consisting of talc, pyrophyllite, kaolinite, bentonite, montmorillonite, attapulgite, sepiolite, wollastonite and mixtures thereof, b) at least one nonionic hydrophobically associative polymer selected from the group consisting of hydrophobically modified cellulose ether, hydrophobically modified poly[ethylene glycol], hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethane, hydrophobically modified poly(acetal-polyethers), and mixtures thereof, and c) at least one nonionic surfactant; wherein said clay or clay like material is present in the slurry in an amount of from 20 to 65% by weight, and wherein said aqueous slurry has a viscosity of less than 4000 centipoise, and wherein the ratio of nonionic hydrophobically associative polymer to clay or clay-like material is 0.1 to 10.0 parts by weight nonionic hydrophobically associative polymer per 100 parts clay or clay-like material.