Industrial Minerals

Australia & Pacific

• IM Global Lithium Roundup: 27 January - 3 February Friday, February 03, 2012

  A brief look at the rest of the week’s lithium stories in the news Read More

• IM Global Rare Earths Roundup: 27 January - 3 February Friday, February 03, 2012

  A brief look at the rest of the week’s rare earth stories in the news Read More

• Baltic Dry Index crashes to 25-year lows Thursday, February 02, 2012

  Further falls mean charter rates drop below operating costs; China bans Valemaxes Read More

• Malaysia approves Lynas rare earths plant Thursday, February 02, 2012

  Lynas must submit plans for waste disposal, but gets green light for start-up Read More

• Minemakers’ Wonarah phosphate project delayed by four years Tuesday, January 31, 2012

  Australian junior eyes 2015 for production; pending deal with India’s NMDC Read More

• Beleaguered shipping rates decline further Thursday, January 26, 2012

  Fall in Baltic Dry Index continues, despite Vale lifting flooding force majeure Read More

• Industrial Minerals Prices February 2012 February 2012

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• Price Briefing: New Year, new price - minerals respond to fluctuating world markets February 2012

  The start of the year saw many mineral grades increasing in value as producers upped their prices to cope with hikes in energy, freight and tight global market fundamentals Read More

• People and places February 2012 February 2012

  Gordon Stollery, Canada Fluorspar; Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, Solvay; Akiva Mozes, Israel Chemicals; Ron Bryan, Compass Minerals; John A. Clarke, Great Quest Metals; Mario Juarez, Lithium One; Daniel Greenwell, Tronox Read More

• Projects in the Pipeline: Kaolin bounces back February 2012

  It has been a difficult couple of years for kaolin as the global recession spread to its end user markets, but a recent recovery in demand has also encouraged a surge of new operations and exploration projects Read More

• LSM12: Production costs will determine project survival Wednesday, January 25, 2012

  Delegates in Argentina exchange terse words following supply outlooks Read More

• Lynas secures A$225m funding to complete Malaysia plant Tuesday, January 24, 2012

  Rare earths group issues convertible bonds through Mount Kellett Capital Managment Read More

• Global steel production rose 6.8% in 2011 driven by China Monday, January 23, 2012

  Turkey, South Korea and Italy show robust growth; signs of slowdown at year-end Read More

• IM Global Rare Earths Roundup: 13-20 January Friday, January 20, 2012

  A brief look at the rest of the week’s rare earth stories in the news Read More

• Baltic Dry Index sinks to three-year lows Thursday, January 19, 2012

  Shipping rates drop 40% in 2012, no recovery seen until after Chinese New Year Read More

• Volatility key challenge for Australian producers - Deloitte Thursday, January 19, 2012

  New mining projects will struggle to get off the ground, Deloitte partner states Read More

• Christmas Island to resume phosphate rock shipments Wednesday, January 18, 2012

  But shipments of bagged phosphate dust likely to be delayed until March, says PRL Read More

• Rio Tinto increases Q4 borates, TiO2 feedstock output Tuesday, January 17, 2012

  Minerals production up marginally in fourth quarter and full-year 2011 Read More

• IM Global Rare Earths Roundup: 6-13 January Friday, January 13, 2012

  New company set up to develop Germany’s only known rare earth deposit Read More

• IM Global Lithium Roundup: 6-13 January Friday, January 13, 2012

  A brief look at the rest of the week’s lithium stories in the news Read More

• Price Briefing: Energy costs drive up soda ash prices December 2011

  Soda ash prices continued their march upwards as European-based market participants placed the price at a €10/tonne premium to levels seen in the last quarter. Read More

• Diary Dates December 2011 December 2011

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• High purity limestone quest December 2011

  Reconnaissance assessments are one of the first steps in identifying new commercial mining projects. Clive Mitchell outlines the British Geological Survey’s recent evaluation of high purity limestone deposits worldwide, including in the Middle East Read More

• Calcium carbonate’s polymer promise December 2011

  Mineral fillers offer cost reduction – and sometimes enhanced properties – to polymer formulations. Siddhartha Roy outlines ground calcium carbonate’s changing role in the growing polymer market Read More

• Pigment pragmatism November 2011

  Demand recovery for titanium dioxide is brisk, mainly driven by China, but needy capacity expansions are hindered by continuing insecurity of adequate feedstock supply, which is driving up prices. The time has come for a pragmatic understanding of the symbiotic relationship between feedstock and pigment players Read More

• Lithium's long game October 2011

  With the race for lithium slowing, focus is moving to the complex manufacture of the battery raw material lithium carbonate. Industrial Minerals spoke with Rincon Lithium’s general manager Mike Tamlin on why he believes only a fraction of new producers will begin production and how even less will be profitable Read More

• WTO is no quick fix for rare earths October 2011

  World Trade Organization is no short term solution for rare earth supply crisis Read More

• Natural graphite faces battle for Li-ion's share October 2011

  Debate continues over whether to use natural flake or synthetic graphite in lithium-ion batteries Read More

• Rare earths rising in Australia October 2011

  Industrial Minerals’ Mark Watts speaks to Dr Steven Ward, managing director of leading rare earths developer Arafura Resources, on the complexity of starting new projects, China, and whether today’s heyday is here to stay Read More

• Alkane completes Dubbo zirconia sales agreements September 2011

  Australia’s Alkane Resources Ltd has agreed to sell all of the zirconia from its project near Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia and planned to complete agreements for the associated niobium by the end of August and rare earths by October. Read More

• Galaxy ramps up spodumene production September 2011

  Australia’s Galaxy Resources has increased production at its Mount Cattlin spodumeme mine in Western Australia by 25% Read More

• QMAG increases magnesia capacity with cement plant September 2011

  Australian magnesia producer, Queensland Magnesia Pty Ltd (QMAG), is to purchase and restart a cement plant to facilitate an additional 100,000 tpa caustic calcined magnesia (CCM) production Read More

• Colluli potash August 2011

  South Boulder Mines Ltd plans to produce 2-10m. tpa potash within the next five years at its Colluli deposit in Eritrea, East Africa Read More

• Eramet and Mineral Deposits form jv for Senegal project August 2011

  Australia’s Mineral Deposits Ltd (MDL) plans to form a joint venture with French metal alloys group Eramet to develop its Grande Cote mineral sands project in north-west Senegal Read More

• Galaxy’s China lithium project hits five-month delay while Talison expands August 2011

  Galaxy’s concerns by labour shortages at Jiangsu and 36% over-budget; Australia’s Talison plans to produce LiCO3 Read More

• Chinese study expands Australia’s Legend Paradise phosphate project May 2011

  The Queensland Paradise Phosphate Project in Australia looking to be developed by Legend International Holdings Inc. should be increased and at a stronger rate of return; Vale to expand in Mozambique; Sunkar reveals 266m. reserves in Kazakhstan Read More

• Lithium reality check April 2011

  As the era of electric vehicles draws closer, the lithium supply industry is positioning itself for an anticipated boom in demand. But disparities in the various market forecasts mean the future is anything but certain for the growing number of emerging suppliers Read More

• Unique mineral consumer shaken April 2011

  Uncertainty for overseas suppliers to Japan’s markets Read More

• Alumina index could raise non-met grade prices April 2011

  Smelter grade alumina prices are set to become more transparent under a series of new price indices, including Metal Bulletin’s Alumina Index, as panellists discussed at the 17th Bauxite & Alumina seminar in Miami last month Read More

• Japanese earthquake rocks minerals industry April 2011

  The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami which hit northern Japan on 11 March marked the country’s worst disaster since the Second World War, causing widespread destruction of houses, industry and infrastructure and leaving more than 20,000 dead or missing Read More

• 10 steps to rare earths supply March 2011

  China’s downsized rare earth exports have tightened global supply – now RE juniors are looking to fill the gap. Dudley Kingsnorth reviews the 10 steps for project development and highlights candidates for new supply Read More

• Evaluating sovereign risk March 2011

  Emerging regions offer enticing mineral prospects, but project risk may deter companies willing to invest overseas. Jeff Loehr outlines the pitfalls of sovereign risk and how it can be accurately measured Read More

• Trimex eyes 2013 for ilmenite/TiO2 start up in Indonesia March 2011

  India’s Trimex Group plans to invest over $800m. on a titanium project in Indonesia, utilising resources from mineral sand deposits in the South East Asian country Read More

• Penrice H1 loss after soda ash plant shutdown March 2011

  Penrice Soda Holdings Ltd has warned of an after-tax loss for its fiscal first half owing to an unexpected shutdown at the group’s Osborne soda ash plant in South Australia Read More