Industrial Minerals

Latest News

• Price Briefing: Week 7

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

• Steyuan to up metspar capacity

  Chinese metallurgical fluorspar producer eyes 50,000 tpa as market tightens Read More

• CI plans taphole clay project

  Australia’s CI Ceramics builds pilot plant for resin-bonded refractory monolithics Read More

• New S. Africa mining royalties

  Postponed royalties to be introduced on 1 March; rate set at 5% of operating margin Read More

• Processing Comment: Rising costs

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

• BPC: Potash set to rocket

  BPC believes demand for potash could nearly double from 2009 levels to 45m. tpa Read More

• Stronger Q4 for Solvay chemicals

  Soda ash and fluorochemicals producer doubles profits despite lower volumes Read More

• Shipping wobbles on Greek woes

  World economies impact shipping as crisis grips Greece, China stops spending Read More

• Minelco to close Seqi olivine

  World’s second largest olivine producer to shut down Greenland mine by November Read More

• US minerals slump in 2009

  Total value drops 20% to $57.1bn as USA increases reliance on imports Read More

• Rockwood improves Q4 earnings

  Lithium and TiO2 group reports stronger quarter based on cost cutting programmes Read More

• Chromite prices under question

  European buyers say non-met prices unchanged as suppliers push increases Read More

• Kirrin buys rare earth prospect

  Canadian explorer inks deal to acquire Grevet rare earth deposit in Quebec Read More

• US TiO2 price-fixing allegations

  US paint company files a federal antitrust class action against pigment producers Read More

• Chinese soda ash prices rise

  Higher input costs and recovering demand from flat glass underpin price gains Read More

• Sephaku plans fluorochem plant

  South African miner eying aluminium fluoride production at Nokeng fluorspar mine Read More

• Imerys profits take a hit

  French mineral producer's Q4 profits fall 13% as end markets remain depressed Read More

• Yara to acquire Terra Industries

  Fertiliser producers agree $4,100m. deal, giving Yara a large slice of the US market Read More

• Mitsubishi taps Galaxy lithium

  Japanese trading house seals off-take agreement for Australian mine Read More

• Chinese glass demand on the rise

  Demand expected to increase 8% a year driven by government spending programmes Read More

• China rare earth reserve approved

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

• Vale acquires Fosfertil majority

  Brazilian mining group agrees $1,030m. deal to become fertiliser giant Read More

• Fluorita eyes acidspar expansion

  Mexican miner’s new concessions could add up to 40,000 tpa extra capacity Read More

• GrowMax potash gets $10m. boost

  Peru potash project receives funding through investment from India’s IFFCO Read More

• Martin Marietta in Q4 loss

  US group post weak fourth quarter but magnesia business hits record earnings Read More

Supply Developments

• Steyuan to up metspar capacity

  Chinese metallurgical fluorspar producer eyes 50,000 tpa as market tightens Read More

• New S. Africa mining royalties

  Postponed royalties to be introduced on 1 March; rate set at 5% of operating margin Read More

• BPC: Potash set to rocket

  BPC believes demand for potash could nearly double from 2009 levels to 45m. tpa Read More

• Stronger Q4 for Solvay chemicals

  Soda ash and fluorochemicals producer doubles profits despite lower volumes Read More

• Minelco to close Seqi olivine

  World’s second largest olivine producer to shut down Greenland mine by November Read More

• US minerals slump in 2009

  Total value drops 20% to $57.1bn as USA increases reliance on imports Read More

• Rockwood improves Q4 earnings

  Lithium and TiO2 group reports stronger quarter based on cost cutting programmes Read More

• Kirrin buys rare earth prospect

  Canadian explorer inks deal to acquire Grevet rare earth deposit in Quebec Read More

• Sephaku plans fluorochem plant

  South African miner eying aluminium fluoride production at Nokeng fluorspar mine Read More

• Imerys profits take a hit

  French mineral producer's Q4 profits fall 13% as end markets remain depressed Read More

• Yara to acquire Terra Industries

  Fertiliser producers agree $4,100m. deal, giving Yara a large slice of the US market Read More

• Mitsubishi taps Galaxy lithium

  Japanese trading house seals off-take agreement for Australian mine Read More

• China rare earth reserve approved

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

• Vale acquires Fosfertil majority

  Brazilian mining group agrees $1,030m. deal to become fertiliser giant Read More

• Fluorita eyes acidspar expansion

  Mexican miner’s new concessions could add up to 40,000 tpa extra capacity Read More

• GrowMax potash gets $10m. boost

  Peru potash project receives funding through investment from India’s IFFCO Read More

• Martin Marietta in Q4 loss

  US group post weak fourth quarter but magnesia business hits record earnings Read More

Focus of the week

• Trioxide trials and tribulations

  Chinese dominance reigns supreme in antimony trioxide as export prices spike in January. However, the market has started to turn since Twinkling Star restarted its disaster-struck mine. Read More

Market Monitor

• Chinese glass demand on the rise

  Demand expected to increase 8% a year driven by government spending programmes Read More

Strandlines

• US TiO2 price-fixing allegations

  US paint company files a federal antitrust class action against pigment producers Read More

Processing

• Processing Comment: Rising costs

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

Logistics News

• Shipping wobbles on Greek woes

  World economies impact shipping as crisis grips Greece, China stops spending Read More

Refractories Hotline

• CI plans taphole clay project

  Australia’s CI Ceramics builds pilot plant for resin-bonded refractory monolithics Read More