Industrial Minerals

Environment

• China’s natural resources plan 11 March 2010

  Lifton: Chinese rail plan is a way of valuing world’s natural resources in RMB Read More

• Bissett Creek graphite boost 11 March 2010

  Stronger prices rekindle interest in Bissett Creek as Northern Graphite raises $1.44m Read More

• Zeolite in nuclear waste barrier 11 March 2010

  Bear River Zeolite wins contract to supply zeolite for US nuclear waste remediation Read More

• China plans rail for the world 09 March 2010

  Lithium on agenda as China eyes world’s resources with global rail network Read More

• Caustic magnesia prices steady 09 March 2010

  Magnesia prices stable as markets tick over after Chinese New Year Read More

• Namibia’s first lithium project 04 March 2010

  Black Fire Minerals plans to explore lithium in south-west Africa Read More

• Price Briefing: Week 8 25 February 2010

  Quiet markets: Chinese zircon could firm as rare earths, chromite and others stall Read More

• Price Briefing: March 2010 March 2010

  Major pricing developments and analysis. This month: rare earths, rare earths, soda ash, titanium dioxide, calcine alumina, graphite Read More

• SUPPLY SITUATION REPORT: Graphite March 2010

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• TOP STORIES: POSCO & Eramet up lithium activity March 2010

  Lithium seen as industrial ‘growth engine’; POSCO eyes seawater source; Eramet plans lithium buyout; Bolivia on back burner Read More

• TOP STORIES: Minelco’s Seqi olivine closes after just 5 years March 2010

  World no.2 producer to close mine; Market loses 2m. tpa capacity; New olivine supplier sought Read More

• Rhodia silicas unit profits rise 24 February 2010

  Silcea division more than doubles Q4 profits as prices and volumes recover Read More

• Processing Comment: Rising costs 18 February 2010

  Future projects could foot the bill for high energy prices, scarce water resources Read More

• Price Briefing: Week 7 18 February 2010

  Markets quiet around Chinese New Year; antimony trioxide slipping while SiC firms Read More

• China rare earth reserve approved 12 February 2010

  Baotou Rare Earth receives approval and funding from Inner Mongolia for stockpile Read More

• People and places: February 2010 February 2010

  Uralkali, Denis Morozov; RHI, Henning Jensen; Victory Nickel, Cynthia Thomas, Roland Horst; Opta Minerals, David Ascott; USMMA, Jack Lifton, Stan Trout, Tony Morcos Read More

• Big freeze sees salt demand surge February 2010

  The UK consumes a year’s worth of salt in five weeks as extreme weather grips northern Europe Read More

• Minago frac sand January 2010

  Victory Nickel Inc., based in Toronto, is working towards developing a frac sand deposit that overlies the company’s nickel deposit at its Minago project in Manitoba’s Thompson Nickel Belt Read More

• Lithium special: the decade the world goes electric? January 2010

  IM talks with Bill Moore, founder of EVWorld.com, on how electric vehicles could shape the next ten years Read More

• Lithium special: Li-ion in the driving seat January 2010

  Auto battery development sees increased mineral and chemical opportunities Read More

• Lithium special: Geothermal brine breakthrough January 2010

  Simbol Mining increases acquisition activity as it nears a lithium geothermal brine extraction breakthrough which could eliminate the need for solar evaporation Read More

• Lithium special: Northern light on Finnish lithium January 2010

  Keliber Oy explains how its green process has given it a footing to become Europe’s first producer of lithium carbonate Read More

• Lithium special: demand not to be taken Lightly January 2010

  While future lithium markets appear promising, Lara Smith outlines why suppliers should be treading carefully Read More

• Lithium special: countdown to Lithium January 2010

  How significant upstream and market developments have shaped 2009 into one of the most significant years yet for lithium Read More

• Climate change fall out January 2010

  Coal-fired power plant demise threatens FGD minerals future Read More

• Magnesia FGD outlet to close January 2010

  Closure of Exelon Philadelphia power units in 2011 marks end of magnesia use in FGD and hits 13.5% of US caustic calcined magnesia demand Read More

• Industrial Minerals Prices: January 2010 January 2010

  Summary of industrial mineral prices listed in monthly IM issue Read More

• Diary Dates December 2009 December 2009

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• Real time Trona December 2009

  Developing optimal milling solutions for FGD-grade trona can reduce injection levels and increase fly ash recycling, as Steve Coulombe of Sturtevant and Alon Vaisman of Malvern explain Read More

• Water borne mineral opportunities December 2009

  Belgium’s Lhoist Group explains how increasing industrial development and environmental regulation is opening new opportunities for wastewater treatment products such as its new Neutralac® SLS45 Read More

• 2000-2009: a decade of minerals December 2009

  A decade of industrial minerals: the turning of China, the rise of Imerys, a trading evolution, and refractory market consolidation – IM revisits some of the key events that have defined the decade Read More

• People and places: December 2009 December 2009

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• Underwater, the new frontier December 2009

  Seabed mining gains momentum as resource race intensifies Read More

• Industrial Minerals November 2009 prices November 2009

  Summary of industrial mineral prices listed in monthly IM issue Read More

• UK lime’s green credentials November 2009

  British lime producer Francis Flower is striving for wider uptake of recycled aggregate products Read More

• Rare earth concern: hype or reality? November 2009

  A potential Chinese ban has brought rare earth availability into the public eye with many believing a supply crisis is closing in. Is this premature talk or a matter of the utmost urgency? Read More

• Price cuts give lithium rude awakening November 2009

  Reality of lithium demand sets in after SQM slashes 2010 lithium carbonate price by 20% Read More

• Stimulus funds cloud mineral recovery November 2009

  Some mineral end-user markets are showing signs of recovery, but new projects will remain a risky business until the effects of government stimulus packages can be quantified Read More

• FGD: capturing mineral opportunities October 2009

  Murray Lines examines the key concepts and minerals in one of the most effective weapons against green house gas emissions, flue gas desulphurisation - the leading environmental market for minerals Read More

• China reaches for the sun October 2009

  The green revolution quietly continues in China as significant solar cell developments has quartz, silicon carbide & fused silica producers on alert by Simon Moores, Snr Assistant Editor Read More

• China goes green October 2009

  China’s low profile green push can lead to mineral demand boom Read More

• Kipawa heavy rare earths September 2009

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• Industrial Minerals September 2009 Prices September 2009

  Summary of industrial mineral prices listed in monthly IM issue Read More

• Thick & thin of clays September 2009

  20 Microns’ new grades of attapulgite and bentonite-based thickeners provide extra viscosity to water- and solvent-borne paints and coatings Read More

• Behind Bolivia’s lithium September 2009

  IM examines the validity of Bolivia’s $300m. lithium carbonate ambitions and the implications for the auto and portable battery industry Read More

• Filler grade barytes industry in 2009 September 2009

  Looking to fill the void: Filler grade barytes is suffering from the severe downturn in the auto industry leaving some with a demand shortfall of up to 50%. While times are hard, barytes diversity, outside of its dominant use as an oil drilling medium, is set to give necessary future stability to producers by Simon Moores, Senior Assistant Editor Read More

• Chinese recovery on green light September 2009

  Export trade issues appear to have little impact on positive signs for China’s economic recovery and good market prospects for certain minerals. These and other topics are up for discussion at IM’s 8th Chinese Industrial Minerals Conference in Qingdao, 7-9 September Read More

• The global talc industry in 2009 September 2009

  Sorted for plastics: as talc’s filler use in paper continues to decrease, Ian Wilson discovers how the mineral’s role in polymers and cars looks set to drive the future market Read More

• Minerals in waste remediation August 2009 issue

  With a shift in US environment policy and a global push for a cleaner environment, George Hawley reviews the potential of minerals in waste disposal Read More

• Bolivian lithium reserves increase? August 2009 issue

  Economic reserves of the Salar de Uyuni could be double original estimates, as Simbol welcomes new challenge to “smothered” lithium market Read More