mineral flame retardants for smalldomestic electrical appliances; high-density polyethylene (HDPE) forrailroad ties and pallets;nanocomposites for automotive exteriorcomponents. Demand growth rates foreach of these applications are forecastto exceed 10%/y. The overallconsumption of minerals in plastics isexpected to rise at more than 5%/y forthe foreseeable future.

Press release from: Principia Partners, PO Box 611,Exton, PA 19341, USA. Tel: +1 800 378 8330. Fax: +1484 214 0172. Website:http://www.principiaconsulting.com (27 May 2003)

Eurocolour – new trade federation forcolorant producers

A number of major producers ofcoloured dyes and pigments havehave established Eurocolour as a newtrade federation for disseminatinginformation and for lobbying politicianson matters of common interest.Founder members include: BASF,Bayer, Ciba Specialty Chemicals,Clariant, Degussa, DyStar and Ferro.The European market for coloureddyes and pigments is said to be worth€8 bn. Employment in the industry isaround 20,000, with the majorproducers being based in the UK,Germany and Switzerland.

Press release from: Eurocolour, c/o Cefic, AvE.Nieuwenhuyse 4, Box 2, B-1160 Brussels, Belgium(11 Mar 2003) & Chimie Hebdo, 17 Mar 2003, (206),13 (in French)

Scope for improvement in Czech paint

In recent years, rising demand forpaint in the Czech Republic has beenincreasingly met by imports, whiledomestic paint production hasdeclined. In 2001, Czech paint outputfell by 6% to 58,730 tonnes, whileimports rose to 59,594 tonnes. Thereis plenty of scope for investment toimprove prospects for the Czechpaintmakers. Balakom (a subsidiary ofSefra of Austria) is the country’slargest producer, with a capacity of8000 tonnes/y and annual sales ofCEK 575.9 M. Other significant paintproducers are: Colorlak (with acapacity of 6500 tonnes/y); BarvyTebas (4000 tonnes/y); Barvy LakyPraha (4000 tonnes/y); and Primalex(3500 tonnes/y).

Farbe und Lack, Jan 2003, 109 (1), 17 (in German) &European Chemical News, 9 Jun 2003, 78 (2056Czech Republic country profile), x-xi

PLANTSBrazil: Cadam – kaolin

Caulim da Amazonia (Cadam) andMitsui have signed a contract underwhich Cadam will supply Mitsui with atotal of 850,000 tonnes of kaolin overfive years. All this material will bedestined for the Japanese market.The contract is valued at about $100M and it reaffirms the continuingrapport between Cadam and Mitsui inthe wake of Mitsui’s sale to CVRD ofits entire shareholding in Cadam’sparent company, Caemi. (See also‘Focus on Pigments’, Apr 2003, 6).

Moreover, the contract will help tounderpin Cadam’s expansion plans.Currently, the company has thecapacity to produce 800,000 tonnes/yof kaolin from its mines in the northernprovince of Amapa. Cadam’s forwardplan entails investing $30 M to raisekaolin capacity to 1 M tonnes/y during2006/07.

BNAmericas Mining News, 6 May 2003, (BusinessNews Americas Ltda. Website:http://www.Bnamericas.com)

Brazil: Millennium Chemicals – TiO2feedstock & pigment

Early in 2000, Millennium announcedthat it was spending $31 M to upgradeits Mataraca mineral sands facilities innortheastern Brazil. The upgradeincluded installing a dredge, withsome ancillary processing equipment,replacing a former dry-miningoperation. Ilmenite capacity was to beraised from 100,000 tonnes/y to120,000 tonnes/y and the productionof by-product rutile and zircon was tobe stepped up accordingly. In fact, thefirst stage – raising capacity to110,000 tonnes/y – was completed in2001; the second stage – raisingcapacity to 120,000 tonnes/y – wascompleted last year. All the ilmeniteproduced at Mataraca is used asfeedstock for Millennium’s sulfate-route TiO2 pigment plant, further downthe coast, at Arembepe (nearCamacari in Bahia province).

In June 2001, Millenniumreportedly confirmed its intention toexpand the Arembepe pigment plantfrom 60,000 tonnes/y to 80,000tonnes/y within a year (See ‘Focus onPigments’, Aug 2001, 4). However, itis now clear that this project never

actually took off. The companyrecently stated that the 20,000tonnes/y pigment expansion project“remains on hold, until economicconditions improve.”

BNAmericas Mining News, 4 Jun 2003 (BusinessNews Americas Ltda. Website:http://www.Bnamericas.com)

Brazil: Votorantim – ZnO

Votorantim has won a contract tosupply pharmaceutical-grade zincoxide to the Japanese market. Thecontract provides for shipments of 60tonnes in 2003, rising to 160-200tonnes in 2004.

BNAmericas Mining News, 6 Jun 2003 (BusinessNews Americas Ltda, Website:http://www.Bnamericas.com)

Canada: Clariant – plasticsmasterbatch

Clariant inherited a 1500 tonnes/yplastics masterbatch plant at Delta,BC, when it acquired Quality ColorsLtd recently. Clariant is now spendingC$1 M to upgrade the plant, boostingits capacity to 1800 tonnes/y. Theplant has already begun producing anew line of PVC-based colourconcentrates.

Chemical Week, 4 Jun 2003, 165 (20), 29

China: Anhui Chaodong Jinghua –nanoparticulate calcium carbonate

Anhui Chaodong Jinghua CalciumIndustry New Materials Co Ltd hasreportedly begun construction work ona 30,000 tonnes/y nanoparticulatecalcium carbonate plant in Qinyangcounty, Anhui province. This plant isintended to represent the first phaseof a project to establish total capacityof 150,000 tonnes/y here. It is notclear if this project is the same as theAnhui Nano project at Hanshan, onwhich work reportedly began about 18months ago. See also ‘Focus onPigments’, Jan 2002, 5.

China Chemical Reporter, 26 Apr 2003, 14 (12), 11

Czech Republic: Precheza – TiO2

Precheza is steadily moving towardsrealisation of its long-term plan toincrease its TiO2 capacity at Prerov to50,000 tonnes/y. This was part of a$24 M programme, which also

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included raising iron oxide pigmentcapacity here from 11,000 tonnes/y to15,000 tonnes/y. (See ‘Focus onPigments’, Dec 2001, 4).

At the time of the privatisation ofPrecheza in 1996, the company’sTiO2 capacity was 25,000 tonnes/y.This was raised to 28,000 tonnes/y inearly 1998. As part of a $35.8 Mexpansion programme, which alsoinvolved stepping up its sulfuric acidand iron oxide pigments capacity,Precheza increased its TiO2 capacityto 35,000 tonnes/y in 4Q 1999.Recently, Precheza declared that itsTiO2 capacity had been stepped up to40,000 tonnes/y. The long-term targetof 50,000 tonnes/y should be reachedin 2005. Up to 4000 tonnes/y of thatcapacity will be devoted to non-pigment grades.

European Chemical News, 9 Jun 2003, 78 (2056Czech Republic country profile), vi-viii

Germany: Bayer – optical brighteners

Bayer has increased its capacity formaking Blankophor opticalbrighteners at Leverkusen. Noabsolute capacity figures have beenrevealed, but the increase is reportedas 10%. About 95% of Bayer’s outputof optical brighteners is sold to paintand paper manufacturers. Thecompany has recently extended itsproduct range to include five newtetrasulfonic optical brighteners.

European Chemical News, 9 Jun 2003, 78 (2056), 12

Germany: Degussa – nanoparticulateoxides of Zn, Ce & In/Sn

Degussa Advanced Nanomaterials isa new business unit within theDegussa group. It has 20 employees.During the second half of this year, itwill begin producing several productsin nanoparticulate form at its Hanau-Wolfgang complex, just east ofFrankfurt. Initially, the product rangewill consist of nanoparticulate zincoxide, cerium oxide and mixedindium/tin oxides, for applications inoptics, electronics, paints and coatings.

European Rubber Journal, May 2003, 185 (5), 19

India: Aditya Birla – carbon black

Indian Rayon & Industries (IRI, part ofthe Aditya Birla group) is planning tospend Rup 600 M to double capacity

at one of its carbon black plants from40,000 tonnes/y to 80,000 tonnes/y.Initially, the local Indian newspapersreported that the plant involved wouldbe the Renukoot plant in Uttar Pradeshprovince. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’,Jun 2003, 5). However, ‘ECN’ statesthat the Rup 600 M investment anddoubling of plant capacity will actuallybe implemented at Gummidipoondi inTamil Nadu province. As a separatematter, Rup 130 M will be invested inthe modernisation of facilities at theRenukoot plant.

European Chemical News, 12 May 2003, 78 (2052), 22

Mexico: Great Lakes – antimonytrioxide pigments & flame retardants

In February 2003, Great LakesChemical Corp (GLCC) brought on-stream a fifth production line at itsReynosa antimony trioxide plant.increasing capacity here by 20%.Following the closure of thecompany’s plants at Newcastle(England) and Laredo (Texas),GLCC’s antimony trioxide productionwas centralised at Reynosa, whichnow has ISO-9001 certification.Pigments and flame retardantsproduced here are marketed underthe brandnames TMS, Timonox,Trutint and Microfine.

GLCC is the leading supplier ofantimony trioxide in the world, thoughit has a number of strong Chinesecompetitors. ‘CMR’ reports globaldemand for flame retardants in 2001at 1 M tonnes/y, valued at $2 bn.About 85% of the consumption offlame retardants was accounted for byapplications in plastics. Antimonytrioxide is estimated to have a 16%share of the flame retardant marketfor plastics. This would correspond toabout 136,000 tonnes/y of antimonytrioxide being consumed by theplastics industry. Overall growth inworld antimony trioxide demand isforecast at 3%/y.

Chemical Market Reporter, 26 May 2003 (Website:http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com) & Chemicaland Engineering News, 26 May 2003, 81 (21), 11

Nigeria: Azara – barytes

The Nigerian Government wants tostep up production at the Azarabarytes mine in the Nasarawa region.Reserves here are estimated at730,000 tonnes, but production is

currently of the order of only 5000tonnes/y. Nigeria currently importssubstantial quantities of barytes,mainly for use as drilling muds in theoil industry. To encourage developmentof the Azara mine, the Governmentmay consider banning barytes imports.

Industrial Minerals, May 2003, (428), 62

Russia: Amtel – carbon black

Amtel, one of the country’s largesttyre producers, has consolidated itscontrol of Tehuglerod (of Volgograd),one of the country’s largest carbonblack producers. Amtel already owned63% of the shares in Tehuglerod andin March 2003 it acquired a further30% block of shares from UralskayaSyrevaya Kompaniya (USK). TheVologograd plant can produce up to204,000 tonnes/y, but production hasbeen well below capacity in recentmonths. Amtel is keen to raise theoperating rate and to reduce unitcosts at the Volgograd carbon blackplant. Meanwhile, USK has retainedthe contract to supply anthracene tothe plant.

Kommersant, 2 Apr 2003, (56), 16 (in Russian)

Russia: Huber & International Paper –precipitated calcium carbonate

Huber Engineered Materials andInternational Paper will jointlyconstruct a new precipitated calciumcarbonate (PCC) plant at theSvetogorsk paper mill now operatedby International Paper. The PCC plantshould be up and running in 2Q 2004.Its capacity has not been revealed,but the paper mill is known to beproducing 250,000 tonnes/y of finepapers. Huber already operates PCCplants in Canada, Finland, France,Portugal, Sweden and the US.

Chemical Market Reporter, 9 Jun 2003 (Website:http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com)

Spain: Cabot – carbon black

Cabot Corp (of Billerica, MA) hasdecided to close its 60,000 tonnes/ycarbon black plant at Zierbena, nearBilbao, in northern Spain. The closurewill probably be implemented duringAutumn 2003. It will result in the lossof about 90 jobs here. The closure willalso mean a 3% reduction in the

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