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March 2015
30 March 2015
Hudson has published a positive preliminary assessment for its White Mountain project. The study’s valuation of the project at $205m and production estimates of 110,000 tpa position the company well to move towards higher purity products, in particular higher value added speciality alumina for non-metallurgical applications, including refractories and ceramics.
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30 March 2015
2014 saw the first drop in China’s refractory production since 2004 as domestic demand from the steel, cement and glass sectors continues to weaken in the wake of slowing GDP growth. Exports jumped last year, meanwhile, as suppliers sought international buyers for surplus production.
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24 March 2015
US frac sand supplier Fairmount Santrol saw income and revenue increase last year as demand for its proppant products continued to increase, despite plummeting oil prices. The company expects positive sales to continue and has invested in capacity and logistics expansions.
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24 March 2015
Indonesia may look at lifting its mineral export ban in order to provide funds for its domestic processing industry - a year after putting the ban in place to encourage investment in domestic processing. Removing the ban may raise enough funds to kickstart beneficiation in an industry that has been focused traditionally on raw materials.
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23 March 2015
Peak steel in China is now being spoken of by many as a past event. Figures by worldsteel and continued projections from mining giant BHP Billiton may serve to lighten the gloomy atmosphere.
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23 March 2015
Delegates at the 21st Bauxite and Alumina conference in Miami this year heard that refractories demand is to drive alumina usage, while sustainable alumina applications are growing. Major challenges in Guinea bauxite are also preventing the country from exporting the mineral.
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20 March 2015
Ceramic proppants have long faced stiff competition from their cheaper, more readily available silica (frac) sand counterparts. Now, with oil prices tumbling and hydrocarbon extraction costs rising, manufacturers are experiencing some of the toughest market conditions yet, with some forced to close operations until conditions recover.
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17 March 2015
Orbite has been active in getting its red mud technology patented, with notices of allowance now received for both Canada and the United States.
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12 March 2015
After saying last year that it planned to invest £640m in shale gas exploration in the UK over the next six years, Ineos has purchased £30m worth of shale gas assets from IGas in England and Scotland. Increased activity in the sector may drive demand for proppants, however the company could face public opposition to the development of its projects as the fracking debate in the UK becomes increasingly heated.
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11 March 2015
Carbo Ceramics is to mothball its McIntyre, Georgia, facility until further notice in response to poor market conditions. The low oil price, ceramic proppant oversupply and the increased use of frac sand has slowed industry activity, with low demand expected to continue in the near term.
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06 March 2015
Despite opposition from state governments, industrial players and other political parties, the Indian government has managed to pass the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015, in the lower house of the parliament.
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05 March 2015
Graphite and lithium are receiving a lot of attention from the high tech world right now, but high purity alumina, used in batteries as ion separators, in LED lights and in sapphire glass for smartphones, could see demand and customer purity requirements rise in unison.
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04 March 2015
Altech's MoU with Dana Shipping will allow it to make money from its kaolin deposits in Western Australia without affecting its own offtake from the site. The group can plough the finances into its 4,000 tpa high purity alumina (HPA) plant in Malaysia.
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02 March 2015
Although the general demand for refractories could decline by as much as 3m tpa by 2020 as the Chinese slowdown continues and refractory usage per unit continues to fall, an overhaul of the Chinese refractories industry is likely to drive an increase in alumina usage.
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02 March 2015
Guinea was in the spotlight at the 21st Bauxite and Alumina conference in Miami last week as the major challenges preventing the country from exporting any of its vast bauxite resource were brought to light. The Guinean government however is keen to develop the industry, as evidenced by its plans to launch a bauxite mining tender in the near future.
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02 March 2015
Many companies in the mining industry often struggle to find a balance between sustainability and profitability. Delegates at the MB Bauxite and Alumina conference in Miami heard about recycling and water treatment – two routes that can help reconcile these issues.