quartz sand and semi-processedquartz stone. In future, Black Bull mayconsider producing a marketablekaolin product.

Industrial Minerals, Mar 2007, (474), 14

Canada: Hillsborough/NW Pozzolan –kaolin

Northwest Pozzolan has beenregistered as a wholly-ownedsubsidiary of Hillsborough Resourcesfor the primary purpose of developingkaolin resources in Canada.Hillsborough currently operates anunderground thermal coal mine atQuinsam on Vancouver Island. As itsfirst project, NW Pozzolan plans to setup facilities for extracting “meta-kaolin” from Hillsborough’s coal minetailings. From a pilot study initiated inSeptember 2005, Hillsboroughdemonstrated that “meta-kaolin” canbe used as an admixture in Portlandcement-based concrete, substitutingfor up to 15% of the Portland cement.The admixture will be marketed byNW Pozzolan under the Metapozzbrandname.

The Federal Government agency –Sustainable Development TechnologyCanada – awarded a grant ofC$868,000 to Hillsborough for workon commercialising “meta-kaolin.”

Industrial Minerals, Mar 2007, (474), 17

China: Columbian Chemical/ShandongHaihua – carbon black

Columbian Chemicals recently paidthe Shandong Haihua group Yuan 36M (about $4.4 M) to acquire the entirebusiness and assets of Haihua CarbonBlack Co. The acquisition included the20,000 tonnes/y carbon black plant atWeifang (Shandong province).Columbian plans to triple the capacityat Weifang over the next few years.

The acquisition of Haihua representsColumbian’s first successfulestablishment of a manufacturingpresence in China. Last year,Columbian declared its intention tobuild a 100,000 tonnes/y carbon blackplant at Caojing (Shanghai) and beforethat it had been studying the feasibilityof a site at Quangang for a 100,000tonnes/y plant. (See ‘Focus onPigments’, Aug 2005, 5).

ICIS Chemical Business Americas, 19 Feb 2007,(Website; http://www.icbamericas.com)

China: Fujian Haidong BioTech –natural yellow pigment, usingpetroleum ether extraction

An explosion that occurred on 19January 2007 at the Fuzhou-Guloucomplex of Fujian Haidong BioTechCo Ltd in Fujian province has beenattributed to a leakage of about 100kilos of petroleum ether. Four workerswere injured as a result of theexplosion. Petroleum ether is used bythe company for solvent extraction ata pilot-scale facility for making anunidentified type of natural yellowpigment.

China Chemical Reporter, 6 Feb 2007, 18 (4), 15

China: Guangdong Dongguan JinfuliangPlastic Materials – masterbatch

Guangdong Dongguan JinfuliangPlastic Materials Co Ltd recentlystarted-up a new 6000 tonnes/y plantfor the manufacture of plasticsmasterbatches, which are describedas “function-fortified masterbatches.”The plant cost Yuan 5.5 M to build.Tests conducted by the Science &Technology Bureau of Dongguanconfirmed that the company’smasterbatches meet all the strengthrequirements for plastic pipes andsimilar products and that productioncosts are significantly reduced.

China Chemical Reporter, 6 Mar 2007, 18 (7), 15

China: Yunnan Xinpeng – kaolin

Yunnan Xinpeng Kaolin Co Ltd hascommenced trial production at a new100,000 tonnes/y plant producingkaolin at Dali (Yunnan province). Theplant cost Yuan 30 M ($3.65 M) tobuild. At full-scale operations, it isexpected to produce kaolin worthYuan 60 M ($7.3 M), so the capitalpayback period is only about twoyears. Kaolin from Dali is used mainlyin the ceramic, plastic and paintindustries.

China Chemical Reporter, 6 Feb 2007, 18 (4), 13

Colombia: Henkel – hair colorants

Henkel (of Germany) plans to invest$4.6 M in its Colombian chemicaloperations, raising overall capacityhere by 40-50%. There will besignificant increases in the company’s

production and exports of haircolorants and cosmetics.

BNAmericas Petrochemicals News, 2 Apr 2007,(Website: http://www.Bnamericas)

Czech Republic: Precheza – TiO2

Precheza reported TiO2 pigmentproduction for full-year 2006 at 41,574tonnes, representing a new recordhigh and about 300 tonnes more thanthe 2005 figure. Precheza operates a45,000 tonnes/y sulfate-route TiO2pigment plant at Prerov in Moravia, 60km northeast of Brno. The company’ssales of TiO2 and iron oxide pigmentsare handled by the Precolor branchenterprise, part of the Agrofert group.

Hospodarske Noviny, 21 Mar 2007, 51 (57), 16 () (inCzech)

Egypt: Omya – GCC

Omya AG (of Switzerland) plans toinvest $87 M in new processingfacilities for making various Omyacarbgrades of ground calcium carbonate(GCC) at Ramadam City, near Cairo.When the new facilities are up andrunning, Omya intends to increase itssales of GCC to paint and plasticsmanufacturers in Cairo andAlexandria.

Among its principal competitors willbe Jordan Carbonate Co, a companyestablished by the late Mr AbdulKarim Hatahet, producing up to50,000 tonnes/y of GCC, dolomiteand talc for sale to Jordanian andEgyptian customers.

Industrial Minerals, Mar 2007, (474), 16

France: Clariant – plasticsmasterbatch

As noted in ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar2007, 6, Clariant has embarked on acost-cutting programme that will entailreducing its global workforce by about10% between now and the end of2009. This will mean the loss of about2200 jobs.

In France, Clariant employs justover 1300 people at ninemanufacturing sites – Puteaux,Brignais, Mulhouse, Troyes, Mantes-la-Jolie, Saint-Jeoire, Abidos,Huningue and Lamotte. The companywill stop making plasticsmasterbatches at Mantes-la-Jolie, butit will retain its laboratory facilities and

APRIL 2007 5

F O C U S O N P I G M E N T S