Brasil Minerios Ltd (Minerios) has increased its vermiculite capacity ahead of schedule, leading the group to expect a 2011 output of 70,000 tpa.
The company is currently producing vermiculite at its S‹o Luis De Montes Belos mine near Goi‰nia in central Brazil, and holds the mining rights to the world’s largest undeveloped known vermiculite deposits in Catal‹o, Goi‡s state.
The group hopes to start up its Catal‹o mine near the country’s capital Bras’lia in 2013.
MinŽrios originally estimated that it would produce 55,000 tpa of vermiculite in 2011, but will instead produce 70,000 tonnes as it implements capacity expansions ahead of time.
“The recent expansion came in well ahead of schedule, and we are well above planned production,” Wilton Machado, CEO of MinŽrios, told IM.