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F O C US capacity at Sorel was increased to 250,000 tonnes/y. The Rio Tinto Board has now approved spending C$107 M to raise UGS capacity at Sorel to 325,000 tonnes/y by early 2005. Moreover, preliminary studies have indicated that if various debottlenecking measures were implemented, UGS capacity could be easily increased to 400,000 tonnes/y. The C$107 M project is part of a C$489 M programme of investments in various projects to upgrade QIT’s production facilities. TiO2 Worldwide Update, Sep/Dec 2003, 11 (5/6), 7-8
Canada – Titanium Corp Inc – TiO2 feedstock from tar sand tailings In collaboration with 3R Resources, Titanium Corp Inc (TCI) has developed proprietary technology for recovering high-grade titanium minerals (mainly rutile and leucoxene) from accumulated tar sand mine tailings in the Lake Athabasca region of northern Alberta. The company has now reached agreement with Syncrude to treat material from Syncrude’s tailings stockpile at the Fort McMurray, AB, processing plant. TCI is spending C$ 5 M to build and operate a new tailings-processing plant at the Regina Research Park in Saskatchewan. This plant will be designed to process 5 tonnes/hour of titanium and zircon bearing sand from Syncrude’s tailings. Industrial Minerals, Feb 2004, (437), 15
China: Imerys & UPM-Kymmene – ground calcium carbonate Imerys recently won a contract from UPM-Kymmene to supply ground calcium carbonate (GCC) for the company’s new uncoated woodfree papermaking facilities, which are currently being installed as part of the Changshu paper mill complex in Jiangsu province. The new facilities will be capable of producing 450,000 tonnes/y of office papers and other uncoated woodfree papers and they should be ready for production by Summer 2005. In order to meet GCC requirements for the new facilities, Imerys will establish a 120,000 tonnes/y GCC plant near Changshu. Industrial Minerals, Feb 2004, (437), 6-7
APRIL 2004
O N
PIGMENTS
China: Inabata – plastics masterbatch Together with local investors, Inabata is establishing its third production base for plastics masterbatch in China. This will be known as Dongguan Sanyo-IK Engineering Plastics Co and its new plant – to be built at Dongguan (in Guangdong province) – will be capable of making 6000 tonnes/y of masterbatch, essentially geared to the requirements of the automotive sector. Inabata’s first Chinese masterbatch venture was a plant started-up in November 2000, operated by SanyoIK Colour Co, a joint venture between Inabata and Sanyo (of Japan) and several investors based in Hong Kong (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Oct 2000, 5). The initial capacity of this plant, also located at Dongguan, was 4000 tonnes/y. It has been substantially expanded since start-up and capacity here is about to be stepped up again by a further 4000 tonnes/y. Inabata’s second Chinese masterbatch venture was a 3800 tonnes/y plant started-up towards the end of 2002 at Dalian. The completion of that plant brought Inabata’s total masterbatch capacity throughout Asia to 124,800 tonnes/y. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Apr 2002, 4). This plant has probably also been expanded since start-up. According to ‘JCW’, Inabata now has masterbatch manufacturing facilities in seven Asian countries and the new plant will increase its regional capacity to 156,400 tonnes/y, including 42,400 tonnes/y in China. Japan Chemical Week, 12 Feb 2004, 45 (2257), 12
Germany: Degussa – nanoparticulate zinc oxide The capacity of Degussa’s new plant at Hanau-Wolfgang for making nanoparticulate zinc oxide has been revealed as 40 tonnes/y. The plant came on-stream last October and a substantial proportion of the output has already been sold for use in sunscreens. Nanoparticulate zinc oxide retains ultraviolet absorption properties without scattering visible light, making it ideal for sunscreens that appear transparent on human skin. Degussa also intends to market its nanoparticulate zinc oxide for applications in optics, electronics,
paints and coatings. As warranted by market development, Degussa intends to establish a much larger commercial-scale plant for making nanoparticulate zinc oxide at HanauWolfgang by early 2006. European Chemical News, 9 Feb 2004, 80 (2086), 19
India: Phillips – carbon black Phillips Carbon Black Ltd (part of the R.P.Goenka group) reported annual sales for the year ending September 2003 as Rup 5.6 bn, of which exports represented Rup 530 M. The company’s sales targets are Rup 8 bn for this financial year (to endSeptember 2004) and Rup 10 bn for 2006/07. Plans are well in hand to expand the Vadodara (Gujarat) plant from 70,000 tonnes/y to 88,000 tonnes/y and to expand the Durgapur (West Bengal) plant from 120,000 tonnes/y to 145,000 tonnes/y. Phillips is keen to increase its international profile and it doubled its exports in the December 2003 quarter (compared against the December 2002 quarter). The company has been negotiating long-term sales contracts with multinational tyre manufacturers, with the aim of increasing its exports. Business Line, 5 Mar 2004, 11 (64), 2
India: TTP – TiO2 Travancore Titanium Products Ltd (TTP) is well on course to achieve its TiO2 pigment targets for the year to end-March 2004, namely 16,000 tonnes production and 18,000 tonnes sales. For the first ten months of the fiscal year, the company reported sales at 15,048 tonnes, including 13,106 tonnes as rutile-grade pigment. Up to a few years ago, TTP produced only anatase grades, but then embarked on the production of rutile grades employing technology developed in-house by a team headed by Dr Ahmed Vakayil. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Aug 2003, 4). During 2003/04, TTP has exported TiO2 pigment to the US, the UK, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, as well as to various markets in Africa. So far this year, it has generated a net profit of Rup 87.5 M on a turnover of Rup 1.06 bn. Chemical Weekly, 17 Feb 2004, 49 (26), 104
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Canada – Titanium Corp Inc – TiO2 feedstock from tar sand tailings In collaboration with 3R Resources, Titanium Corp Inc (TCI) has developed proprietary technology for recovering high-grade titanium minerals (mainly rutile and leucoxene) from accumulated tar sand mine tailings in the Lake Athabasca region of northern Alberta. The company has now reached agreement with Syncrude to treat material from Syncrude’s tailings stockpile at the Fort McMurray, AB, processing plant. TCI is spending C$ 5 M to build and operate a new tailings-processing plant at the Regina Research Park in Saskatchewan. This plant will be designed to process 5 tonnes/hour of titanium and zircon bearing sand from Syncrude’s tailings. Industrial Minerals, Feb 2004, (437), 15
China: Imerys & UPM-Kymmene – ground calcium carbonate Imerys recently won a contract from UPM-Kymmene to supply ground calcium carbonate (GCC) for the company’s new uncoated woodfree papermaking facilities, which are currently being installed as part of the Changshu paper mill complex in Jiangsu province. The new facilities will be capable of producing 450,000 tonnes/y of office papers and other uncoated woodfree papers and they should be ready for production by Summer 2005. In order to meet GCC requirements for the new facilities, Imerys will establish a 120,000 tonnes/y GCC plant near Changshu. Industrial Minerals, Feb 2004, (437), 6-7
APRIL 2004
O N
PIGMENTS
China: Inabata – plastics masterbatch Together with local investors, Inabata is establishing its third production base for plastics masterbatch in China. This will be known as Dongguan Sanyo-IK Engineering Plastics Co and its new plant – to be built at Dongguan (in Guangdong province) – will be capable of making 6000 tonnes/y of masterbatch, essentially geared to the requirements of the automotive sector. Inabata’s first Chinese masterbatch venture was a plant started-up in November 2000, operated by SanyoIK Colour Co, a joint venture between Inabata and Sanyo (of Japan) and several investors based in Hong Kong (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Oct 2000, 5). The initial capacity of this plant, also located at Dongguan, was 4000 tonnes/y. It has been substantially expanded since start-up and capacity here is about to be stepped up again by a further 4000 tonnes/y. Inabata’s second Chinese masterbatch venture was a 3800 tonnes/y plant started-up towards the end of 2002 at Dalian. The completion of that plant brought Inabata’s total masterbatch capacity throughout Asia to 124,800 tonnes/y. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Apr 2002, 4). This plant has probably also been expanded since start-up. According to ‘JCW’, Inabata now has masterbatch manufacturing facilities in seven Asian countries and the new plant will increase its regional capacity to 156,400 tonnes/y, including 42,400 tonnes/y in China. Japan Chemical Week, 12 Feb 2004, 45 (2257), 12
Germany: Degussa – nanoparticulate zinc oxide The capacity of Degussa’s new plant at Hanau-Wolfgang for making nanoparticulate zinc oxide has been revealed as 40 tonnes/y. The plant came on-stream last October and a substantial proportion of the output has already been sold for use in sunscreens. Nanoparticulate zinc oxide retains ultraviolet absorption properties without scattering visible light, making it ideal for sunscreens that appear transparent on human skin. Degussa also intends to market its nanoparticulate zinc oxide for applications in optics, electronics,
paints and coatings. As warranted by market development, Degussa intends to establish a much larger commercial-scale plant for making nanoparticulate zinc oxide at HanauWolfgang by early 2006. European Chemical News, 9 Feb 2004, 80 (2086), 19
India: Phillips – carbon black Phillips Carbon Black Ltd (part of the R.P.Goenka group) reported annual sales for the year ending September 2003 as Rup 5.6 bn, of which exports represented Rup 530 M. The company’s sales targets are Rup 8 bn for this financial year (to endSeptember 2004) and Rup 10 bn for 2006/07. Plans are well in hand to expand the Vadodara (Gujarat) plant from 70,000 tonnes/y to 88,000 tonnes/y and to expand the Durgapur (West Bengal) plant from 120,000 tonnes/y to 145,000 tonnes/y. Phillips is keen to increase its international profile and it doubled its exports in the December 2003 quarter (compared against the December 2002 quarter). The company has been negotiating long-term sales contracts with multinational tyre manufacturers, with the aim of increasing its exports. Business Line, 5 Mar 2004, 11 (64), 2
India: TTP – TiO2 Travancore Titanium Products Ltd (TTP) is well on course to achieve its TiO2 pigment targets for the year to end-March 2004, namely 16,000 tonnes production and 18,000 tonnes sales. For the first ten months of the fiscal year, the company reported sales at 15,048 tonnes, including 13,106 tonnes as rutile-grade pigment. Up to a few years ago, TTP produced only anatase grades, but then embarked on the production of rutile grades employing technology developed in-house by a team headed by Dr Ahmed Vakayil. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Aug 2003, 4). During 2003/04, TTP has exported TiO2 pigment to the US, the UK, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, as well as to various markets in Africa. So far this year, it has generated a net profit of Rup 87.5 M on a turnover of Rup 1.06 bn. Chemical Weekly, 17 Feb 2004, 49 (26), 104
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