Document 85553djanO05QN3ndkZ7Rd1jK

FILE NAME: Marley (MAR) DATE: 1975 June DOC#: MAR004 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Published Journal Article INTER-OFFICE LETTER fo r m u - e ~ THE MARLEY C O M P AN Y To: Attfl: SUBJECT R. L. McFadin^D. W . Meeker J . G . Kadel " J . B. Dickay~~^) ^IIIig a n /W T m c h ' Peters^LeboAVright A rtic le on Asbestos IMPORTANT! a lw a ys send co pie TO OFFICES INVOLVED From: offlce: Date Lyle H. Laughlin Mission, Kansas November 26, 197;. Gentlemen: The attached a rticle on asbestos, which appeared in the June, 1975 issue of INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, was brought to my attention by Charlie Schane of GAF Corporation. It is a very comprehensive a rtic le , and I think you w ill find it interesting. Very syicerely yours, H. Laughlin r production losses prolong the shortage j IN COMMON with many other industrial minerals (and World asbestos production--1973 (metric ions) many oilier commodities), asbestos experienced ex Canada .. A1A/NA USBM .. 1,791,000 1,791,000 tremely strong demand throughout 1974, which was USSR .. .. 1,995;000 1,280,000 reflected in higher prices, shortages in certain areas, and South Africa 318,000 325,000 producers operating at capacity levels. This year's re China 90,000 210,000 cession in Western industry appears to have,taken the Italy United States .. 118,000 150,000 118,000 136,000 i heat out of the majority of mineral markets, however, Rhodesia 154,000 80,000 ! with significant falls in both demand and prices. Not Brazil 27,000 40,000 so asbestos! -Demand continues to exceed supply, and Swaziland 41,000 37,000 after price rises averaging over 50% between the end Cyprus .. Japan 25,000 18,000 26,000 14,000 of 1973 and the beginning of 1975, yet another rise is India 3,000 11,300 expected shortly--and all this even though two of Finland .. 11,000 11,000 asbestos' major consuming areas--the construction and Yugoslavia 14,000 9,000 the motor manufacturing industries--are operating at Other countries .. 5,000 51,000 low levels. This paradox cannot be explained simply. The continuing shoit supply has in fact been brought about by a combination of factors--producer problems, ranging from a fire and landslide to strikes and other political pressures; supply problems, such as shipping difficulties and the like; and continuing strong demand, particularly from the developing countries. In addition, Total .. 4,728,000 4,171,000 N.B.--The figures in the left hand column were presented at on Industry-Government Conference held by the Asbestos Information Association/North America in September 1974. Those in the right hand column are the preliminary United States Bureau of Mines figures. The greater share (32,000 tons) of production from `other countries' in the USBM figures came front Australia. the whole industry from mining to manufacturing, is principal supplier to world markets. All but a small undergoing extensive changes as new and wider controls arc introduced to counter the much-publicised health hazards associated with asbestos usage. This article sets out to pinpoint the major factors leading up to today's situation and to assess some of the possible implications for the future of the industry. proportion of the country's output is exported, and figures for exports in the pasffew years have thus risen to the 1.6m./1.8m. ton level. After Canada the most important asbestos exporters are the USSR (about- 450,000 tpa). South Africa (over 300,000 tpa), and the USA, Italy, and West Germany (each about 60,000 tpa). World production nears 5m. tpa It is therefore evident that any review of world asbestos developments must begin with Canada. Total world production of asbestos in 1974 was nearly 5m. tons, of which Canada and the USSR each pro Canada-- landslides, fires, and strikes duced about a third, and the remaining third was pro duced by a number of countries, notably South Africa, Rhodesia, the USA, Italy, and China. A more accurate breakdown for the year 1973 is presented in the accompanying table. Two sets of figures are shown: the first set was presented at an industry/government conference held by the Asbestos Information Association/N orth America in September 1974, and the second is based on preliminary data available to the United States Bureau of Mines. The chief discrepancy between the two figures lies in the estimates given for Russian production, and this arises mainly because the USSR produces large tonnages of by-product asbestos used for railway ballast, etc., which is not included in the USBM estimates. In terms of the quantity of asbestos avail able for world markets, however, the two sets of figures can be considered to be in fairly close agreement, since discrepancies chiefly occur over estimates of material that is consumed within the countries concerned. Certainly there is no disputing Canada's role as the Unfortunately, the most significant events of recent months are all of a depressing nature. The country's two largest producers have both received setbacks to production, one through a landslide in its open pit and the other through a fire which destroyed its main mill. At the present time further production is being lost as the result of a strike by miners in the principal pro ducing region of Quebec. The landslide occurred in January this year, when lm . tons of overburden moved, covering the southern section of the Jeffrey open-pit mine in Quebec. This mine, which is operated by Canadian Jolms-Manville Co. Ltd. (a subsidiary of Johns-Matwille Corn, of the USA), is the largest asbestos mine in the western world and extracts approximately 35m. tons of rock per annum to yield about 700,000 short tons of fibre. As a result of the landslide, output of fibre has been reduced by about 20% and normal production is not likely to be restored until October or November this year. A month earlier, in December 191j$AFgJE|t>)}eo<Pfiarby June 1975 Industrial Minerals 19 Thclford Mines in Quebec, the King-Beaver mill of Canada's second largest producer, Asbestos Corp.. was destroyed by fire. Although the company has tried to compensate by treating King-Beaver ore in its other mills (the liritish-Canadian and Normandie mills), an estimated 27";', of output will be lost this year. A decis ion about a possible new mill is now being delayed by the strike. This strike is now over 10 weeks old and concerns the mines in the Thctford Mines area operated by Asbestos Corp., Lake Asbestos, Carey-Canadian Canadian asroslos exports Milled fibres [Cp. 3) United States .. United Kingdom (short loin) 197) 1972 13 428 13 756 6,001 5,239 Total 30,401 29,190 Milled fibres [Gps. 4 & 5] United States .. Mexico Brazil .. Colombia West Germany United Kingdom France.. Belgium-Luxcmbourg Netherlands .. Spain .. I t a l y ....................... Austria Denmark Rumania Japan .. I n d i a ....................... Malaysia South Korea .. Australia 194,526 21,586 12,180 10,737 53,770 55,507 50,200 27,555 15,000 . 23,796 12,418 13,534 10,023 9,654 33,470 15,567 8,770 12,266 41,345 197,344 20,759 9,443 12,835 67,520 54,562 41,537 24,393 13,163 27,604 13,641 12,021 5,490 13,324 35,010 23,454 6,836 13,583 43,209 Total Shorts (Cps. 6-9] United States .. Mexico Argentina B razil....................... West Germany United Kingdom France.. Belgium-Luxembourg Netherlands .. Spain .. Denmark Japan .. South Korea .. Australia 739,734 738,526 455,479 3,685 8,565 3,875 31,692 45,457 22,673 16,627 11,751 10,806 7,155 73,853 21,645 20,889 503,552 4,704 8,844 3,886 28,639 39,180 25,735 16,727 15,436 11,872 3,478 75,138 27,522 10,530 T o t a l ....................... 785,313 830,885 1973 14,981 6,243 32,373 208,501 26,302 7,096 12,839 103,726 69,140 57,392 35,496 19,798 40,136 21,363 13,622 9,204 17,276 51,386 19,858 10,079 5,729 35,741 889,921 548,412 3,670 6,626 5,955 37,164 52,168 29,972 20,751 26,146 11,981 5,994 105,366 5,705 17,770 932,458 1974 12,705 5,333 34,555 205,172 26,161 15,806 18,241 105,362 56,214 44,819 29,660 13,531 34,171 22,431 7,530 6,450 6,044 48,724 14,244 9.623 5,989 37,726 839,799 517,273 5,085 6,755 13,448 33,277 50,926 24,695 15,943 36,222 13,035 5,232 92,916 10,250 12,713 898,454 United States asbestos li] Milled fibres Mexico .. Canada .. India .. .. South Korea South Vietnam .. Thailand .. Malaysia Japan Belgium .. exports (short tons) 1971 1972 2,954 927 5,476 1,450 4,719 3,520 1,600 2,085 286 2,151 708 4,177 -- 6,361 -- 1,200 853 1,814 Total (i) [ii] Shorts Canada .. Brazil Colombia South Korea Thailand .. Japan Belgium .. 28,087 1,645 2,683 -- 5,629 1,977 5,403 -- 22,081 1,083 1,890 -- 15,990 -- 4,639 1,137 Total (ii) 24,115. 29,711 Grand Total (i)&(ii) 52,202 51,792 1973 8,040 979 -- 18,709 6,715 -- -- 2,187 2,445 42,791 1,468 2,721 1,403 3,005 -- 8,094 -- 23,109 65,900 1974 n.a. 61,723 Mines, and Bell Asbestos (hut not Canadian )ohnsMansville). The dispute has to do with both pay and conditions and has been forced into the political arena by the provincial government's alleged intransigence in introducing new safety regulations (sec later section on health hazards) and the federal government's siding by implication with the miners. At the time of writing, the strike was continuing but signs of a settlement were becoming more apparent. Whatever the outcome, several thousand tons of production has been lost and a further price rise of 7 `,`i or more is expected to follow. Production from Canada's western provinces has not been trouble-free either, and Cassiar Asbestos Corp. has experienced a number of mining problems. Extrac tion at the company's main mine at Cassiar in British Columbia was slowed by the necessity to deal with an overburden problem and fibre output was ^ con sequently lower than expected in 1974. The company's second operation at Clinton Creek in the Yukon has been running close to capacity but is now scheduled for closure by the end of 1977 due to the increasing difficulty of mining. Although the actual tonnage of reserves is adequate, the extra cost of mining a steeply dipping orebody will, it seems, make it uneconomic to continue. Canada-- closures, acquisitions, and new operations Among the more normal (or at least less spectacular) developments in recent years, the following are worthy of mention. Closures include the Thetford Mines oper ation of The Flintkote Co. during 1971 and the more recent termination of operations at Johns-ManviUe's Reeves Mine in northern Ontario in February this year. The most significant acquisition concerns the takeover by Lake Asbestos of Quebec Ltd. (a subsidiary of ASARCO of the USA) of the Thetford Mines operation formerly owned by National Gypsum Co. of the USA. The only new operation to go on stream in recent years was the Asbestos Hill project in northern Quebec operated by Asbestos Corp. The operation has a pro duction capacity of 300,000 tpa of asbestos concentrates, which are then shipped to the company's mill at Nordenham in West Germany for final processing into fibre. This year will seen initial production from the new 100,000 tpa Midlothian operation in Ontario operated by United Asbestos Inc. The company expects to start production in July and a possible 30,000 tpa of fibre will be produced by the year end. The most promising future venture is the A bitibi Asbestos Mining Co. pro ject at Amos, Quebec, where a 160,000 tpa plant has been proposed. Commercial production, is unlikely to begin before mid-1978. The company is an RTZ associate. The USA-- problems too In 1974, closures were announced for three of the country's largest asbestos operations, and during the course of the year two operations, both in California, duly closed. These were the plant of Pacific Asbestos Corp. (a subsidiary of H. K. Porter Inc.) at Copperopolis, and that of Coalinga Asbestos Co. (a subsidiary of Johns-Manville Corp.) at Coalinga. The third operation, at Lowell in Vermont, was reprieved, however. The operation, which was formerly owned by GAF Corp., has been taken over by employees at the plant and will operate under the new name of Vermont Asbestos Group Inc. The remaining asbestos operators in the USA are Union Carbide Corp. and A tlas Asbestos Co. in California; faquays Asbestos Corp. in Arizona; and Powhatan Mining Co. in North CtaifoS5000418 Ki n o r o 1c f..r iene; been in continuous operation since 1881 and today is the largest individual operation in the Western world. At the present time output has been reduced through a slide of overburden which covered one section of the mine. When operating at full capacity, however, about 35m. tons of rock is extracted per annum, from which 700,000 short tons of fibre is produced. Philipp Brother* G.m.b.H Neu**er Str. I l l 4 D s s e ld o rf 1, W ost G erm any Telex: 858-8551 n June 1975 Industrial Minerals D IVISIO N OF ENG ELHARD M IN ER ALS A C H EM IC ALS C O R PO R ATIO N 29$ Park Avenue, New York New York 10017 (212) 752-4000 Cable: PHIBRO Telex (RCA) 223031 72C TMRDEP000419 21 Colin. Stewart Minerais Lim ited W harton Lodge M ills, Nat Lane, W insford, Cheshire. T e l: W insford (STD 06065) 2291 T e le x : 667059 E members of the Leigh and Sillavan Group joint owners of TrSand Metals Limited Ring Dealng Members of the London Metal Exchange 22 i o u m e r n M ilica South Africa's importance in world asbestos markets is mainly derived from its position as the dominant producer and almost, sole exporter of amphibolc asbes tos. The country's production is made tip of about 150.000 ton of crocidolite, 100,000 tna of amositc, and 70.000 tpa of chrysotile. The bulk of production is con trolled by three mining groups: the UK-owned Cape Group (amosite and crocidolite); the South Africanowned General Mining Group (crocidolite and chryso tile); and the Belgo-Swiss-owned Elcrnit Group (croci dolite). Among the more interesting production developments of recent years are the rationalisation of amosite production by the Cape Group, which is central ising production to its Penge plant in the Transvaal, and the completion earlier this year of the Eternit Group's new mine and mill at Klipfontein in Cape Province. On the supply side, all producers were affected to varying degrees by the political upheavals in Mozam bique which disrupted shipments through Lourcnqo Marques. Shipments front the Havelock chrysotile operation in Swaziland, operated by a subsidiary of the UK's Turner & Newall Group, were also affected. Southern Africa's other asbestos producer-- Rhodesia-- has supply problems of a different sort, of course. The world, or at least the sanctions-observing part of. it, has been deprived of the high quality Rhodesian chrysotile for almost a decade, and its reappearance would be of. major significance to world markets. However, this event will not occur until a lasting solution is found to the country's political problem. Within the country itself, the most notable development appears to have been the opening in 1972 of the King Mill at Mashaba by the Turner & Newall subsidiary, Rhodesian & General Asbestos Corp. South African asbestos exports (metric tons) 1970 1971 1972 1973 Japan 63,488 65,277 63,452 United Kingdom .. 51,591 46,847 55,080 Italy.. 25,757 21,457 17,072 United States 22,625 23,550 17,797 Denmark .. 10,908 11,309 16,004 France 15,102 13,555 12,874 Belgium-Luxem. .. 8,336 10.366 11,925 n.a. Spain .. . . . 11,622 8,838 10,695 Australia .. 9,341 8,719 7,529 West Germany 6,960 7,176 5,473 Rumania 486 5,250 5,274 Mexico 5,295 4,497 5,461 Canada 4,085 4,560 4,732 Total .. 290,375 299,775 295,846 329,880 Developments elsewhere Details of developments in the USSR are naturally diffi cult to obtain, but reports suggest that expansions arc in progress a t a number of locations (see page 40). In Russian asbestos Austria Belgium-Luxem. Bulgaria Cuba Czechoslovakia France Hast Germany West Germany Hungary India Italy.. Japan Poland Rumania .. Yugoslavia .. exports .. Cmetric 1970 11,200 11,100 21,200 9,500 21,000 53,000 43,100 n.a. 13,900 15,900 11,600 n.a. 31,500 n.a. 20,600 tons) 1971 15,900 11,600 22,800 10,800 21,100 35,700 43,700 34,700 16,300 20,200 14,500 56.100 43,300 20,200 21,800 1972 12,200 11,600 19,700 12300 21,200 43,700 48,700 26,000 16,800 33,500 10,100 41,200 55,200 19,700 26,700 1973 12,400 11,000 30,600 12.000 20.700 45.100 44,000 33,800 18,900 20,800 4,900 45,500 63,000 22,200 27,400 Total .. 385,300 433,000 432,700 448,900 , , . , MARDEP000420 Industrial Minerals June 1975 \ & A \ W>-4N n iK i ! i t v i u f i y il li i . *\ -ii: I[y-V^ai l.<.Jico It is not enough for Aquitaine to b e one of the Western world leading producers of brimstone, at Lacq in France and at Ram River in Canada; nor to give consumers high-quality services as concerns the purity of product or the efficiency of transport, Similarly Aquitaine has also set up a powerful research programme for developing new applications for sulphur, As a consequence, Aquitaine has achieved new high-performance road binders where addition of sulphur allows also to save up to 30% of bitumen. The first experimental road in Europe was put into service near Lacq injune 1973. Thus is Aquitaine acting for the future of sulphur. AQUITAINE - Tour A quitaine - C e d e x n 4 ,92080 Paris-La D fe n se - France T eleph one 256.61.61 - T elex Akilaq 62.950 F. MARDEP000421 e5 AQUITAINE COMPANY OF CANADA, Calgary (Alberta). Canada. general, production developments in the rest of the world are concerned mostly with domestic consumption and have only marginal implications on the world asbestos market as a whole. Some notable exceptions to this generalisation include the Woods Reef chrysotilc project in Australia, the Kozani project in northern Greece, and the asbestos processing operations in West Germany. The Woods Reef mine, near Barraba in New South Wales, Australia, started production in February 1972 and after a period of recurring losses has operated under receiver managership since November 1973. The principal difficulty was concerned with the ore itself, which is very difficult to mill, but the profitability of the operation was further undermined by the appreciation of the Australian dollar. However, it now appears that the milling problem is on the way to being solved, and a recent drilling programme has substantially increased reserves. Furthermore, the fibre product is being well received by consumers. These are all encouraging pointers to the future viability of the operation, which is owned by Woodsreef Mines Ltd., a subsidiary of Woodsreef Minerals Ltd. of Canada. The Kozani asbestos project in northern Greece is currently operating at pilot plant levels, but plans are in hand to begin commercial operations at a rate of 50,000 tpa, possibly during 1976. Further plans suggest an eventual doubling of capacity to the 100,000 tpa level. The operating company is Asbestos Mining Co. of Northern Greece (M ABEM ), in which Cerro Corp. of the USA holds the majority share. Although not actually mining asbestos. West Germany is now a processor and supplier of asbestos fibre through the operations of Asbestos Corp. GmbH at Nordenham. The company's plant has a capacity to produce 100,000 tpa of fibre using raw material shipped from the parent company's Asbestos Hill mine in northern Quebec. Perhaps one other development, or non-development, worth noting is that Cyprus continues to produce and export asbestos despite last year's troubles on the island. The operation remains in the Greek Cypriot part of the country. Cyprus asbestos exports United Kingdom .. Denmark .. Greece Ireland Sweden Israel Lebanon Austria Egypt (metric 1971 6,796 4,093 . 1,638 1,360 1,360 1,000 430 813 998 tons) 1972 8,895 8,483 1,366 853 1,497 1,011 1,942 1,327 1,529 Total .. 22,612 27,988 1973 8,676 6,713 2,710 2,704 2,269 1,272 1,135 1,419 392 28,999 1974 7,305 8,533 5,814 2,268 2,040 1,907 1,669 1,002 182 32,679 Italian asbestos exports Cmetric tons) 1971 1972 West Germany 22,191 21,691 France 9,873 13,075 Spain -- 5,776 Total .. 48,793 54,537 1973 28,031 13,055 4,775 62,915 1974 25,421 14,515 -- 66,784 West German asbestos exports (metric tons) 1971 1972 Belgium-Luxcm. .. -- 544 Spain -- -- Austria 610 276 Netherlands -- ` --- France -- -- Switzerland.. -- -- Italy....................... -- -- Poland -- -- Total .. 1,271 1,217 June 1975 industrial Minerals 1973 10,844 5,513 2,839 1,263 1,071 672 -- -- 23,213 1974 3,783 11,907 4,290 2,922 11,925 248 6,393 2,850 57,047 for DRILLING FOUNDRIES PELLETISING As per O.C.M .A. specification. As per AMERICAN o r BRITISH Standard. As per Consumer's Specifica tion. Please co nta ct M ineow ners, Processors and Exporters: M /s . ASHAPURA MINECHEM INDUSTRIES OFFICE: 129/131 Kazi Sayed Street, B O M B A Y 400 003 (IN D IA ). PHONE: 328638. CABLE:. "REACTOR". TELEX: MUDCHEM 011-3892. W ORKS: Station Road, BHUJ (K.UTCH) INDIA HEAD OFFICE: 980B, Krishna Nagar, Near Dawn, BHAVNAGAR (GUJARAT) INDIA. PHONE: 5182. CABLE: "A S H A C H E M ". TELEX: M UDCHEM 071-228 (IS SU E D BY THE CHEM ICALS & ALLIED PRODUCTS EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL-- CALCUTTA) FOR * DRILLING M UD as per O.C.M.A. specification * FOUNDRIES * IRON ORE PELLETIZATION * CIVIL ENGINEERING * CATTLE FEED M anufactured & Processed by PELETICO PLASTERS LTD. A ll export enquiries to: PELETICO LTD., N ICO SIA, CYPRUS P.0. BOX 1326, TELEX 2520 l'/llAlp PFPnnn/l?? 23 Destinations As one would expect, the largest consumers of asbestos are the industrialised countries of North America, Europe, and Japan. The largest individual countries (and their approximate annual consumptions) are as follows: the USSR (800,000 tpa of fibre plus 700,000 tpa of asbestos rock and sand); the USA (800,000 tpa); Japan (380,000 tpa); West Germany (220,000 tpa); the UK ()S0,(100 tpa); France (lO.OOOtpn); Italy (150,000 tpa); and Spain (100,000 tpa). Except for about 80,000 tpa of US-produced material and imports of about 30,000 tpa of South African amphibole, the North American market is served almost totally by Canadian material. In the same way, the USSR and Eastern Europe are served almost totally by Russian production --although Rumania buys significant tonnages from Canada and.South Africa. Although Canada and South Africa are the dominant suppliers to countries in West ern Europe and Japan, a number of other sources are of comparable importance to certain countries. For instance, the USSR is an important supplier to Japan, France, West Germany, and Belgium. Italy obtains the major share of its requirements from its own production and also exports substantial tonnages to West Germany, France, and Spain. Cyprus is a major s-tpplier to the UK, Denmark, and Greece. Swaziland is also an im portant source of material for the UK. Australia is emerging as an important supplier to Japan and other Far Eastern countries. West German chrysotile of Canadian origin is now being used not only for internal consumption but also for export to France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Austria. These, and more detailed movements, are presented in the various tables of im ports and exports accompanying this section. Such M a rke t Research, Sales P la n n in g , M anagem ent Studies for the Asbestos Industry P.O. Box 304 Greenwich, Conn. 06830, U.S.A. 203/637-4632 Major asbestos importers (metric tons) 1970 1971 WEST GERMANY Canada .. 100,892 76,947 USSR .. 20,547 34,105 Italy 19,629 21,443 South Africa 26,588 28,973 1972 130,034 24,810 22,704 22,435 J973 240,044 32.416 29,482 19,435 1974 307,S32 32,097 22.534 20,251 Total .. 175,612 167,941 206,602 329,392 394,920 UNITED KINGDOM Canada .. 90,555 102.198 Swaziland 20,127 18,180 South Africa 27,396 26,535 Cyprus .. 6,793 6,854 87,630 135,365 107,885 16,014 26,247 16,351 30,224 26,036 15,673 8,937 7,767 6,761 Total .. 148,175 156,270 144,977 197,703 153,007 FRANCE Canada .. USSR . . South Africa Italy 73,526 70,810 71,600 80,482 48,876 29,618 44,012 43,528 17,302 15,741 16,827 18,816 n.a. 10,589 11,260 14,651 14,535 Total .. 151,848 128,890 148,298 158,549 SPAIN South Africa Canada | Italy n.a. 32,049 34,370 50,697 20,615 40,601 44,759 44,759 n.a. n.a. 1,813 6,730 6,665 Total .. 77,677 65,287 82,608 109,045 BELGIUM Canada .. 30,627 40,443 62,348 45,365 South Africa 7,544 12,698 9,050 12,395 West Germany .. -- -- -- 10,084 n.a. USSR .. -- -- 11,531 -- Total .. 54,839 70,068 89,685 85,615 ITALY South Africa Canada .. USSR .. West Germany .. Total .. NETHERLANDS Canada .. USSR .. 33,511 16,641 10,069 -- 62,253 33,507 14,536 13,376 -- 63,894 22,678 13,950 7,547 -- 47,500 31,275 20,556 5,511 -- 60,183 28,857 23.363 ___ 6,438 66,164 14,576 16,095 18,960 28,995 2,107 2,803 2,000 2,976 n.a. Total .. 22,063 23,537 26,226 37,684 DENMARK Canada .. Cyprus .. South Africa 15,694 13,946 10,892 13,812 6,003 4,808 6,997 8,964 3,505 3,893 5,125 7,075 n.a. Total .. 28,690 26,798 26,213 33,505 AUSTRIA Canada .. South Africa USSR .. Italy 18,771 5,724 5,832 1,212 20,297 7,745 7,700 2,012 21,073 7,223 6,904 1,992 20,281 7,125 6,835 3,417 13,041 4902 8,828 3,663 Total .. 34,155 39,943 39,991 39,592 33,066 JAPAN Canada .. South Africa USSR .. Australia.. 154.349 110,903 118.037 144,000 136,678 94,879 99.445 100,234 112,194 124.141 42,066 55,642 41,203 46.609 64.961 -- -- 12,727 30,125 15,759 Total .. 298,253 273,757 278,582 341,540 352,110 UNITED STATES Canada Chrysotile (spinning) Chrysotile (other) South Africa Amosite .. Crocidolile . 1971 1972 1973 1974 10,540 10.520 14,210 575,950 634,000 670,480 13,225 6,463 7,114 6,307 4,875 11*386 Total 618,100 667,240 718.900 695,050 N-B.--Importing countries in capitaI letters. Only principal countries of origin shown. MARDEP000423 Industrial Minerals June 1975 figures do not icll the whole story of production and consumption, of course, since total tonnage figures naturally obscure details of grades beneath. The asbestos market is particularly complex in this respect since there arc not only a large variety of grades but also a variety of asbestos types. Hence before discussing the consumption side of the asbestos market it is worth taking a look at some of the more general background. Chrysotile and the amphiboles The term `asbestos' refers to a range of natural mineral fibres. All are silicate minerals, but they may be con veniently divided into two groups--chrysotile and the amphiboles. Chrysotile is the sole species classified in the serpentine group of hydrous magnesium silicates, whereas the amphibolc group contains five known varie ties--namely crocidolite, cimosite, anthophyllite, treniolite, and actinolite. The chemical formulae of these minerals are as follows: Chrysotile (also known as white asbestos) 3M g0.Si0,.H 30 . Crocidolite (or `blue asbestos') Na-,O.Fe,Oa.3FeO. SiO,.FI20 . Amosite 5iFeO .H MgO-8SiCb.HiO. Anthophyllite 7Mg0.8Si0>H20 . Tremolitc 2CaO.5Mg0,8SiO>.H:.'O. Actinolite 2Ca0.4M g0.Fe0.8Si0j.H;O. Chrysotile is by far the most abundant of these minerals and is responsible for about 95 % of total world pro duction. Of the amphiboles, only crocidolite and amosite are of significant commercial importance, partly because of the occurrence of large deposits in one particular region (South Africa) but more importantly because of their properties. Although all six types of asbestos share the. well-known properties of fire and heat re sistance, to be of use commercially the properties of strength and flexibility become important. Anthophyllite, tremolitc, and actinolite all have poor tensile strengths, and their commercial importance is therefore consider ably limited (as is their occurrence). Chrysotile, amosite, and particularly crocidolite all have extremely high ten sile strengths and are therefore used extensively for their reinforcing properties when combined with materials such as cement, resins, and plastics. The principal difference between them is that chrysotile is soft and flexible whereas both crocidolite and amosite are hard and brittle. Hence chrysotile is perhaps the most' adaptable, but crocidolite and amosite are par ticularly useful for adding specific properties such as rigidity, often in conjunction with chrysotile. Grades and classification Apart from the differences of mineralogical type de scribed above, there are naturally differences in the quality of different deposits of the same type of asbestos. For instance, Cassiar chrysotile is generally purer than Quebec chrysotile and is therefore particularly valuable for applications which require an absence of con taminants. However, such considerations are generally restricted to the more specialised applications, and the main system of grading asbestos is based on fibre length rather than on quality. For chrysotile the most widely used system of grading is the Canadian system developed under the auspices of the Quebec Asbestos Mining As sociation (QAMA). There are 9 groupings: Groups 1 & 2 (or Crude No. 1 and Crude No. 2) refer ------------- -- -- -------- WE SUPPLY MANGANESE ORE - Mn 30%, 35%, 38%, 40% and 46% PYROLUSITE LUMPS & POWDER Mn02 60%, 65%, 70% and 75% BARYTES LUMPS & POWDER BaS04 90%, 93% and 95% C H IN A N A T IO N A L M ETA LS & M IN ERA LS IM PO R T & EX PO R T CO RPO RA TIO N KWANGSI CHUANG AUTONOMOUS REGION BRANCH HUNG HSING ROAD, NANNING, KWANGSI CHUANG AUTONOMOUS REGION, CHINA to the longest fibres, with lengths of over --inch and be tween {-inch and {-inch respectively. These long-fibre grades are. not separated into individual fibres at the mine-site but instead arc shipped crude to the customer, who will separate the fibres himself for use in preparing asbestos textiles, etc. Croups 3 to 7 consist of milled fibres classified by means of the Q u e h e c Standard Testing Machine. This machine consists of three screens ({-inch mesh, 4-mesh, and 10-mesh) and a box to catch the short material. Groups and sub-groups are classified according to the proportion by weight retained on each screen. Hence Group 3 material will have a very high proportion of long fibres retained on the larger aperture sieves, where as Group 7 material ends up mostly or totally in the box. In terms of applications, Group 3 fibres are used almost exclusively in textiles (except for a small proportion used in specialised papers, gaskets, etc.); Groups 4-6 are used in asbestos cement products, insulating boards, asbestos paper, friction products, etc., where the choice of grade --or mixture of grades--depends on the required pro perties of the finished product; Group 7 fibres are used in what are essentially filler applications, such as in floor tiles, plastics, paints, adhesives, etc. Groups 8 atul 9 contain a preponderance of rock and sand and are sold as cheap fillers in construction-type applications. Large chrysotile producers outside Quebec--in British Columbia, the USSR, the USA, South Africa, Swaziland, Rhodesia, etc.-- operate their own grading systems, but for the most part grades are produced which are equiva lent--or at least comparable--to the Canadian grades. Amosite and crocidolite arc graded by somewhat similar methods although a greater variety of long fibres is oilered. Production by grade Jt is perhaps unnecessary to point out that output of long-fibre forms only a small proportion of total world production and that the bulk of fibres produced are in the QAMA group 4-7 range. Outside Quebec the only commercial producers of chrysotile equivalent to Groups 1-3 are in British Columbia (Canada), Arizona (USA), Swaziland, Rhodesia, China, and the USSR. Luckily, Canada is the one country that gives a break down of production by grade. In 1972 the quantities (in short tons) and the proportions (percentages) of Canadian shipments were as follows: Groups 1, 2 and 3: 38,609 tons (2%); Group 4 : 499,234 tons (30%); Group 5: 271,585 tons (16%); Group 6: 236,105 tons (14%); Group 7; 642,625 tons (38%); and Group 8: 893 tons (negligible). Consuming industries One distinctive feature of the asbestos industry is the high degree of integration, whereby a large proportion of world fibre production is consumed by member or associate companies of the mining groups. This is no doubt a reflection of the specialist nature of working with asbestos--a t all stages from mining and processing to incorporation into usable products. The reasons are also historical, however, and four companies in par ticular play major roles in both the mining and manu facturing ends of the market--namely Johns-Manville Corp. of the USA; the Belgo-Swiss Eternit group; and Turner & Newall Ltd. and Cape Industries Ltd. of the UK. Although )M now only operates two asbestos mines (two others were closed down recently) it is the largest asbestos miner in the Western world and is a June 1975 Industrial Minerals establish new performance standards in dry classification below 10 microns for production of grit-free powders below 5 microns. for classification of low-density plastics, pigments, fillers, metals, abrasives or other materials. ' for laboratory and production needs with feed rates up to 1 ton/hr according to material and desired cut size. Why not satisfy your ultra-fine powder needs by classification of your present materials? Please contact us for further information. majac A Donaldson Company S.Aft/lajac Department Rue de .la Loi 74 1040 BRUSSELS/Belgium Tel.: (02) 5123973 Telex; 23J205 ____________ IVIARDEP000425 27 : in the asbestos industry alone, more than 75 C-E Bauer Hurricane Pulverizer-Classifier units are used to fiberize, j to remove magnetite and rock, and to recover fibre from ! tailings that used to be discarded. They were specified : by operators who need rugged, high capacity equipment i fo r continuous, heavy duty service. (A 4'A" diameter . shaft that reduces maintenance is standard on new units.) Ask fo r Bulletin G-4. C-E Bauer, a division of the Process . E q u ip m e n t Group of Combustion E ngineering, Inc., Springfield, Ohio 45501 and Brantford, Ontario. PROCESS 1m L 5 eq uipm ent COMBUSTION ENGINEERING. INC 28 major manufacturer of asbestos products at factories in the USA and throughout the world. 'Die Etcrnit group is the world's largest consumer of raw asbestos through its subsidiaries and associates throughout the world. Etcrnit's principal mining interests are situated in Canada (Asbestos Corp. and Advocate Mines), Italy (balangero). and southern Africa (operating subsidiaries of the Asbestos Investments group). Turner & Newall has mining interests in Canada (Bell and Cassiar), Rhodesia (Rhodesian & General). Swaziland (Havelock Mines), and South Africa (Dublin Consolidated), and manufacturing interests in the UK and abroad. Cape Industries (which is now part of Charter Consolidated Ltd.) operates a number of mines in South Africa and has manufacturing interests in the UK and abroad. Apart from these, four companies, a number of other large asbestos product manufacturers hold monetary interests in mining operations. These include: Raybest osManhatten Inc. of the USA, Saint-Gobain-Pont-aMousson S.A. of Fiance, and James Hardic Asbestos of Australia. Uses of asbestos Although the list of end-uses for asbestos is almost endless, the vast bulk of consumption in tonnage terms is used for constructional applications. Most important of all is its use in asbestos cement products, which range from pipes and ducts to flat and corrugated sheets. When wet a mixture of Portland cement and asbestos can be moulded without difficulty to a wide variety of shapes and sizes. After drying the finished products are not only strong, rigid, and durable but also resistant to fire and weather. A specialised sector within the asbestos cement category is the production of asbestos cement pressure pipe. Such pipe is ideally suited for heavy duty' applications, e.g., for water supply and sewage disposal systems, irrigation projects, and for carrying chemical wastes. Asbestos cement products use fibre in Groups 4 to 6 but naturally Group 4 fibre is most desirable for the stringent pressure pipe applica tions. Although chrysotile forms the bulk of fibre consumed, most formulations contain smaller propor tions of amphibole fibre wherever possible. This is because of the dewatering characteristics of crocidolite and amosite. Mixtures of cement and chrysotile drain very slowly and production rates are consequently slow. By using a blend of chrysotile and amphibole fibres (usually around 20% but sometimes as high as 40% ) considerable improvements in the drainage rate have been achieved, plus the additional bonus of greater reinforcing strength. Other important constructional applications include insulating products such as boards and roofing felts, and floor tiles. Lightweight fire resisting boards form an especially im portant m arket for amosite, which is used in conjunction with calcium silicate and diatomite formulations. Amosite gives high reinforcing properties for a relatively low density in boards that are fire proof, incombustible, and both thermal and sound in sulating. A large proportion of such boards are fitted to the bulkheads and inner wall linings of ships. P ro duction of such products for use in buildings is more prevalent in Europe and Japan than in the USA-- partly a result of more stringent fire regulations in these countries than in the USA. The use of asbestos in floor tiles is essentially a filler application and uses Group 7 material--partly for reinforcing and partly for insulation and fire retardant properties. One of the most important areas of consumption out side the construction industry is the use of asbestos in MARDEP000426 Industrial Minerals June 1975 friction ' products such as brake linings and clutch facings.us'ed in cars and trucks. Traditionally asbestos textiles formed the basis for such products but today it is more usual to use molded products combining asbestos with resins. The automotive industry also uses asbestos in a variety of other products such as gaskets, air cleaners, oil fillers, etc. The use of asbestos friction products is now also growing in other transportation fields, particularly railways. Asbestos textiles are used in the manufacture of yarn and cloth which is used in safety clothing, packings, the abovementioned brake linings, filters (see 1M May '75), etc. The two accompanying tables give a breakdown of asbestos consumption in the USA and the UK. These breakdowns cannot be taken as typical of other coun tries, however, since in both cases it will be seen that asbestos cement applications account for about 40% of total, whereas worldwide probably 70% of total con sumption is used in cement-related products. In most developing countries over 90% of asbestos is used in cement products, and even for other industrialised countries the proportion often exceeds 70% . This is mainly because of the long history of the asbestos manufacturing industries of the USA and the UK in the development of non-cement applications. Both countries therefore maintain important export sales of asbestos-containing products. Trends in consumption The most significant feature of asbestos consumption in recent years is undoubtedly the growth of consump-tion in developing countries. It is this fact more than any other that helps to explain the paradox (highlighted United Stales asbestos consumption--1973 Sfiori ions Asbestos cement pipe .. .. 141,000 Asbestos Latex sheet .. J34.000 Floor tiles ....................... .. 125.000' Asbestos paper .. 84.000 Friction materials 51,000 Asbestos cement sheets, etc. .. 50, (XX) Roof coatincs .. 34,000 Asbestos textiles.. 28,000 Plastics .. J S.(KX) Joint cements .. 13.000 Miscellaneous....................... .. 154,000 Tola! .. .. 832,000 Percento; 17.0",. . 16.0% 15.0% 10.0% 6.0% 6.0% 4.0",, 3.4% 2.1% 1.6% 18.5% 99.6% United Kingdom Breakdown of asbestos fibre consumption--1973 [estimated] (metric ions) Chryso lite Anmsitc Tta! Asbestos cement building 55,600 -- 55,600 (32.2%'. products Asbestos cement pressure 7,800 1,200 9,000 (5.2%) pipes Fire resistant insulation 3,000 19,500 22,500 (13-1%) boards Insulation products (inc. 1,300 2,700 4,000 (2.3%) spray Jointings & packings 11,400 -- 11,400 (6.6%) Friction materials .. 17,000 -- 17,000 (9.9%) Textile products (excl. 8,300 -- 8,300 (4.8%) friction mat.) Floor tiles .. 16,200 -- 16,200 (9.4%) Moulded plastics .. 2,200 600 2,800 (1.6%) Filler in felts, millboard, 25,300 25,700* (14.9%) paper, underseals, mastics, etc. Totals 148,100 24,000 172,500* (100%) *Includes 300 tons o f aiuhophyllite INDUSTRIAL MINERALS THESE ARE OUR SPECIALITY-- FOR EXAMPLE:-- NEUBURG CHALK PLEASE CONTACT US FOR YOUR REQUIREMENTS RICHARD BAKER, HARRISON LTD. 238 CITY ROAD, LONDON, EC1V 2QS (01-253 4205) 70 THE ALBANY, LIVERPOOL L3 9ER (051-236 3488) TELEX 27967 June 1975 Industrial Minerals M rtrcucrJUUU4.'!/ 29 in the introduction) of asbestos enjoying such strong demand when its biggest consuming industry-- the con struction industry---is in the doldrums in many Western countries. The opportunities for expanding asbestos cement usage in industrialised countries is now some what limited--it is in any case used now principally in industrial and agricultural buildings rather than domestic buildings (partly because of tradition and parti}' because of certain health hazard taboos). In the developing countries asbestos cement products are being used in all types of buildings as one of the simplest and cheapest basic building materials available. This cheapness factor may come as a surprise when one considers that asbestos cement grades cost between (Canadian currency) S21) and S674 per short ton, fob Quebec. However, only small fibre contents (8-12% of total for sheet and 15-20% for pipe) are required to give the desired properties. Despite the price rises of recent months, asbestos has improved its competitive ness on price grounds over a number of rival products incorporating iron, steel, and plastics, etc. (Fuel costs form a comparatively low proportion of total costs when compared to most other building materials.) The sim plicity factor is also important, since once the right equipment has been installed, asbestos cement manufac ture is an extremely easy process to control and is extremely adaptable. Add to this the properties of the finished products--strong, rigid, durable, resistant to fire and weather--and it is easy to see why the material is so attractive to developing countries. Although some developing countries have increased their imports of asbestos products from industrialised countries, the most important trend has been the setting up of asbestos plants in the countries themselves. In the past few years asbestos cement plants have sprung up nl a number of locations throughout the Middle East, the Far East, Africa, and Latin America. Many o f'th e plants are producing not only sheets and board but are also supplying pressure pipe for the large number of water supply, sewage disposal, and irrigation projects currently underway in many such areas. Mosl of these plants have been set up by the major com panies--Johns-Manville, Eternit, Turner c Ncwall, etc.- in conjunction with the government or local interests in the countries concerned. Trends in consumption in other fields are a little more difficult to assess--not least because of the current recession in Western industry. Sales of asbestos pro ducts to the motor manufacturing industry have natur ally been running at much lower levels during the past year than in previous years and demand from other sectors such as plastics and floor tiles have also fallen off. This means that there has been an overall soften ing in demand for Group 7 fibres. Although the auto motive industry is something of an unknown, it would appear that demand from other industries will pick up as soon as industry in general begins to move out of the recession. Health hazards A number of other changes in the pattern of the consumption for asbestos have been brought about by regulations concerning the health hazards associated with the material. This subject has received much air ing in the mass media in recent years and has therefore had certain commercial effects--in helping to brin" in new regulations but also in promoting psychol< barriers against the use of asbestos in certain f 1 The industry has come in for a lot of criticism-- n justified but much of it unfair. Much of the pub EVERITT & CO. LTD. SICHOUSE COURT, TITHEBARM STREET LIVERPOOL L2 2LQ ESTABLISHED 1878 ASBESTOS FIBRE INTERNATIONAL TALC BAUXITE TALC GRAPHITE ORES AND MINERALS ALLOYS AND METALS A LUM INIUM PASTE AND ATOMISED A LU M IN IU M POWDERS Telephone: 051-236 2 9 9 5 /8 Telex: 62173-EVERITT, LPL Telegrams: " PERSISTENT", LIVERPOOL MARDEP000428 'in k:__>_ gave the impression iliat the general public were at risk by the widespread use of asbestos and obscured the fact that the dangers arc associated with' ii'orkinti cni'inninienls where there is a high level of asbestos dust content in the air. In fact, exposure to asbestos dust has been recognised as a health hazard for over forty years and in the UK legislation was passed in 1931 to improve, factory conditions. However, most precautions were ignored during the war years, and through a combination of negligence and lack of know ledge about the nature of the associated diseases, truly effective controls were not introduced until 1969. There are two, or possibly three, diseases associated with asbestos, one which shows itself as scarring of the lung (asbestosis). another particularly vicious disease in which tumours are formed in the chest wall (mesothelioma), and in the third case asbestos appears to be carcinogenic and its connection with lung cancer is therefore under investigation. All three take a long time to show themselves-- the visible signs of asbes tosis may not appear for between 15 and 40 years. Hence much of today's research is examining a disease contracted in another era. The 1969 regulations have been drawn up after a number of years' intensive medical research into the subject, however, and although their effectivness will not be fully known for a further 10 to 20 years, most people would agree that the}' strike a balance between what is `probably' safe and what is commercially feasible. Basically the regu lations state that the maximum allowable dust level when working with chrysotile and amosite is 2 fibres per cubic centimetre of air. F or crocidolite, which is heavily implicated with the incidence of mesothelioma, the standard has been set a t 0.2 fibres per c.c. A t the present time controls in other countries are generally more lenient but the trend is moving quickly towards making the UK levels universal. Under current US regulations 5 fibres per c.c. for all types of asbestos is permissable but legislation reducing the level to 2 fibres per c.c. will be introduced later this year. In Quebec, where standards have been somewhat arbitrary until now, the provincial government has announced plans to limit dust levels to 5 fibres per c.c. within 3 years. The trade union concerned sees this level only as an interim one, however, and is pressing for a 2 fibres per c.c. limit to be imposed within 2 years. Measurements One of the great drawbacks of legislation of this type is that although the standards are clear-cut on paper, the methods of measurement used are subject to wide .margins of error. The most widely used method of testing at the present time is the membrane filter test, in which air is drawn through a filter (held near the worker's face) and the fibres are then counted using phase contrast microscopy. This method is accurate when counting more rounded particles such as coal dust, but large discrepancies occur when the method is applied to fibres which are often hard to distinguish. It therefore seems likely that more sophisticated tech niques such as image analysing computers which can distinguish between fibres and other airborne dust will be used for counting wherever possible. Such equip ment has the advantage not only of accuracy but also of speed; a reading can be made in a m atter of minutes rather than hours, or even days, using present methods. Effects on consumption So what effects have the regulations and attendant publicity had on asbestos usage? Its effect on overall June 1975 Industrial Minerals demand is impossible to measure but if the .strength of demand over the past year or so is anything to go by the answer is `none'. However, within the industry itself there have naturally been a number of changes in practice to conic into line with the laws. Notably there has been a decline in the number of processes which use asbestos in the dry slate. A number of former applications in which asbestos was used for insulation and applied in the dry state have disappeared. There arc in any case a number of equally suitable and less dangerous alternative materials available. It should be noted that insulation board, which is made by a wet process, has not been affected. Asbestos cement manu facture, too, is a wet process and the only real danger of exposure to dusL is at the point when dry asbestos is added to the wet cement mix. Hence it is at this point that more stringent safety precautions must now be taken. The effects on crocidolite consumption have been more measurable than on chrysotile or amosite since the dangers of using crocidolite are also more apparent. It is no longer used in products that used a dry process--such as textiles. It is not used at all in the UK as the result of a trade union decision and its future re-introduction would appear most unlikely. However, its use m asbestos cement pressure pipes appears to have grown considerably in other countries as demand remains at a high level. Alternatives Naturally any discussion of the health hazards of asbestos begs the question--what alternative materials are available? Such discussion also highlights those areas of asbestos consumption for which asbestos can be easily replaced and those for which it is pracLically Commonwealth 8t Overseas Asbestos Corpse (Ply) Ltd. Exclusive Export Agents for: SENEKAL MINE (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED Producers of Chrysotile Asbestos Fibres Enquiries to be addressed to: P.O. Box 2024, Johannesburg. Republic of South Africa Tel: 22-0915 Cable: Covasco Telex: 8-7532 JH --------------------------------------------------- miARr>FPnno473 ji indispensable. Jn the field of insulation asbestos meets a number of rival materials--many of them mineral products such ar. mineral wool, kaolin wool, glass fibre, exfoliated vermiculite, expanded perlite, and calcined diatomitc. Hence asbestos has lost and will continue to lose markets to such rival products, although in cer tain areas of the insulation field where further proper ties of strength and high temperature resistance are required the material more than holds its own (in ship insulation, etc.). Class fibre is also a rival to asbestos in certain reinforcing applications and in plastics and resins in particular. Until recently this market was growing at a high enough rate to benefit both materials but the rivalry between asbestos and glass fibre could become more intense with the current slower growth rate. In asbestos's major markets, however, there have so far been no satisfactory replacements for asbestos. Alternative materials such as glass fibre do not have the required strength for cement reinforcement, too low a melting point for friction products (in addition to dama ging wear characteristics), and a lack of the combina tion of properties (strength, fire-resistance, wearresistance, and flexibility) that textiles made from asbestos possess. The future An analysis of developments on both the supply and demand sides of the picture suggests that the shortage of asbestos fibre in Group 4-6 (the asbestos cement grades), which has already lasted for about 18 months, will probably last for at least another 18 months. Demand has relaxed in certain industrialised countries, such as the UK, but in other industrialised countries, such as France and West Germany, has not relaxed sufficiently to change the basic picture. Meanwhile, developing countries, in the throes of new asbestos cement projects, have been subjected to particularly acute shortages of supply. Since this situation prevailed before the present scries of production difficulties arose in Canada, the supply/dcmand imbalance can only get worse in the short term. An estimated m inim um of 250,000 tons of fibre in Groups 4-6 will be lost during 1975 as a result of the landslide, fire, and strike. This loss comes on top of reduced output from the USA and, less importantly, the finish of Finnish anthophyllite pro duction. The only new capacity of significant scale from Western world producers would appear to be the Mid lothian clirysotile operation in Canada, which will prob ably' contribute about 30,000 tons of fibre (including Group 7 material) this year; and the Klipfonlem crocidolite operation in South Africa. Increased production may also be forthcoming from other countries, particu larly Australia, but altogether these extra quantities add up to Jess than 100,000 tpa. The USSR is a bit of an unknown quantity, of course. Certainly expansions arc believed to be in progress, but if recent rumours are correct, Russia has been having a few supply difficulties of its own--in which case increased supplies may not be available until late 1975 or early 1976. The real key to future supply', however, could depend on the speed with which Canada deals with its production problems. The need for a rapid return to full oper ating levels will become more urgent if the predicted boom in Western industry takes place next year as some observers believe. h> / --A substitute for asbestos? Are you or your customers experiencing problems with asbestos? Have you considered mica and its special properties; --flaky particles --controlled particle size distribution --high tensile strength --fire retardant --good colour --available in flake sizes from 10 millimetres to 10 microns --REDUCED HEALTH RISKS As a leading manufacturer, we shall be pleased to discuss your queries. Microfine Minerais and Chemicals Ltd Registered Office: Mica W o rks, Raynesway, Derby DE2 7BE. Telephone: (0332) 673131. Telex: 37261. A Subsidiary of Federated Chemical Holdings Ltd. 1Q-K Inriuclrita! KAinorali i ] T : r j :>:i t ; -----------------------------------------miARDFPnnnaan 33 N o rth A m e ric a CANADA--chrvsotile (i) Quebec producers Canadian Jolins-Maiirillc Co. Lid. (wholly-owned subsidiary 'of Johns Manvillc Corp. of the USA). Operates the Jeffrey mine and mill at Asbestos, Quebec. Mill has 720,000 stpa capacity (650,000 metric tpa) of QAMA grade 3-8 inclusive. The Reeves mine in northern Ontario (operated by a 100 subsidiary. Johns-Manvillc Mining & Trading Co.) was closed down in February 1975. C1M handles sales for Advocate Mines Ltd., with which it is associated. Asbestos Corp. Ltd. (owned 54% by General Dynamics Corp. of the USA through its Canadian subsidiary, Canadair). Operates three mine/mill plants in southern Quebec (KingBeaver, British-Canadian, and Normandie). Total mill capacity is about 350,000 stpa (320,000 metric tpa) of QAMA grades 1-8 inclusive. Also operates the Asbestos Hill plant at Ungava in northern Quebec which produces about 300,000 tpa of asbestos concentrates which are shipped to the com pany's mill at Nordenham in West Germany. Carey-Canadian Mines I.ld. (formerly owned by Philip Carey Corp. of the USA but now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jim Walter Corp. of the USA). Operates mine and mill at East Broughton, Quebec. Mill capacity is about 200,000 short tpa (180,000 metric tpa) of grades 3-S inclusive. Lake Asbestos of Quebec Ltd. (wholly-owned subsidiary of American Smelting and Refining Company--ASARCO). Controls two plants in southern Quebec (Black Lake and Thetford Mines). The Thetford Mines plant, which is operated by the National Division, was acquired from National Gypsum Co. of the USA during 1973. Mill capacities are: Black Lake 161,000 stpa (146,000 metric tons) and the National Division 70,000 stpa (63,000 mtpa), although the latter will be increased to 80,000 stpa (73,000 mtpa) during this year. Both mills produce QAMA groups 3-7 inclusive. Although Lake Asbestos is the sole operator of the Black Lake property, the mineral rights are owned by United Asbestos Inc., and this company shares in the profits. During 1973 and 1974 Lake Asbestos acquired from Asbestos Corp. two asbestos-bearing properties border ing the Black Lake mine. Bell Asbestos Mines Ltd. (wholly-owned subsidiary' of Turner & Newall Ltd. of the UK). Operates the Beil Mine in Thet ford Mines, Quebec. Mil] has annual capacity of 60,000 short tons (54,000 metric tons) of QAMA grades 1-7 in clusive. The company handles sales for Cassiar Asbestos Corp. 34 Industrial Minerals June 1975 N.D. Amorifi possible new ventures in Quebec, probably the most promising is (he Amos prospect of Ahitibi Asbestos Minina Co. I.UI. (in which brinco Ltd.--an R J7. associate -- is a majority shareholder) where a 160,000 lpa mill has been proposed. However, a recent announcement slates that no commercial mining is likely before mid-1978. Another potential operation is situated in the Chibougaroau area of Quebec, on property owned by McAdtnn Minins Corp. Riocanex (an RTZ subsidiary) has conducted sampling and testing of the deposit but no firm decision has yet been made on developing the property. (it) Producers in other provinces Cassiar Asbestos Corp. (shareholders include Turner & Newall of the UK, Coinvest 'Exploration Co. of Canada, James Hardic Asbestos of Australia, and RaybeslosManhattan Inc. of the USA). Operates the Cassiar Mine on McDame Mountain in British Columbia and the Clinton Creek Mine in Yukon Territory. Both mills have a theore tical capacity of about 110,000 stpa (100,000 mtpa) although Cassiar should operate at 120.000 stpa in 1976. Company uses its own classification system but Cassiar operation yields long, medium, and short fibre qualities (roughly equivalent to QAMA grades 1-6) and Clinton Creek medium and short qualities .(equivalent to QAMA 4-6). Clinton Creek is due to close down at the end of 1977. United Asbestos Inc. (formed by the merger of United Asbestos Corp. and Allied Mining Corp. in 1973). Initial production from the company's new mine and mill at Midlothian, Ontario is scheduled to begin next month (July 1975). Mill capacity is 100,000 tpa and grades will probably be in QAMA 4-7 range. Hdman Mines Ltd. (owned by Gulf & Western Industries Inc. of the USA). Operates a small mine and mil] at Matheson, Ontario. Current production is about 7,000 stpa of QAMA group 7 only. Advocate Mines Ltd. (owned by Johns-Manville Corp., Amet Corp., and Eternit S.A.). Mine and mill between Bale Verte and Notre Dame Bay in northern Newfoundland. Current capacity of the mill is 78,000 stpa (71,000 mtpa) of grades corresponding to QAMA grades 4 and 6. MEXICO--chrysotile No production at present. Compaa Minera Pegaso S.A. (a subsidiary of Industries Peoles) is developing a deposit in the Cuicatlan district of Oaxaca State. Production planned for 1978. Freeport Minerals Co. of the USA once held an interest in the project but sold out during 1972. Another company, Cia. Nacional de Asbestos S.A., was set up by the Mexican government to exploit a deposit at Cuidad Victoria in Tamaulipas State but interest in the project appears to have waned. UNITED STATES (i) Western states---chrysotile Union Carbide Corp. (Mining and Metals Division). Mine in the San Benito County of California and mill situated at nearby King City. Mill capacity is thought to be in the region of 40,000 tpa of fibres similar to QAMA grade 7. In addition to conventional fibre, the company produces colloidal and modified asbestos products that are specially adapted for particular filler/reinforcing applications. Atlas Asbestos Co. (wholly-owned by Wheeler Properties Inc. of Reno, Nevada). Mine and mill situated 32 miles north-west of Coalinga in California. Mill capacity is 30,000 tpa of QAMA grade 7R and shorts. N.B. Two other Californian producers. Pacific Asbestos Corp. (a subsidiary of H. K. Porter Co. Inc.) and Coalinga Asbestos Co. (a subsidiary of Johns-Manville Corp.), ceased operating during 1974 and have subsequently been offered lor sale. So far there has been no news of developments. The Pacific Asbestos mill at Copperopolis in Calaveros li no 1Q 7R I n W u c f r ia t M i n o r a l e separates ultra-fine powders within the range of 5 to 60jj 0 L o w initial c o s t. L o w in stallatio n c o s t (self contained, no additional equipment needed). TYPIC AL D A T A FOR IN D U S T R IA L M IN E R A LS e 6 m odel sizes 0 H igh th ro u g h p u t (upto15tons/hr) 0 L o w running c o s t (average 5 kwperton throughput). Whiting Fluorspar Limestone Barytes Bentonite 93% minus 5 p 99% minus 75 p 99% .minus 20 p 90% minus 5 p 99% minus 75 p BRITISH REMA MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED P.O. BOX 3 t . VULCAN ROAD. SHEFFIELD S9 5GA. Telephone 49054 Telex 541 15 A.B.Edgallen. Telegrams Remaco Sheffield S9 5GA. British R em a PROCESS PLANT BNQ&ffiERS. 35 Chrysoiile A nth o p h y llite Crocidolite A m osite TIME & LIFE BUILDING ROCKEFELLER CENTER NEW YORK, N.Y. 10020 TEL: 212 581-0660 CABLE: HUXLEYCORP TELEX: 420195 OVER A QUARTER CENTURY OF EXPERIENCE 36 Coumy had an animal rapacity of about 50,000 stpa and produced grades equivalent to QAMA 4-7 inclusive. The Coalingn Asbestos Mill had a capacity of 15,000 stpa of QAMA grade 7 fibres. iti/nih/s Asbestos Corp. operates one mine (The Chrysoiile Mine) and holds two others (Regal Mine and Asbestos King Mine) on standby, all in Gila County, Arizona. The mill, which is situated at Globe. Arizona, has an annual capacity of 1,200 tpa of all grades (corresponding to QAMA 1 and 2 crudes, 3Z and 4T lilter fibre, and 7F shorts). (ii) Eastern states--chrysoiile and anthophyllite Vermont Asbestos Croup Inc. (formerly operated by GAP Corp.). Mine and mill at Lowell, Vermont. Recent operating levels are thought to be in the region of 40,000 stpa of chrysoiile fibre in the QAMA 4-7 range. Early in 1974 GAP Corp. announced that it would close the plant by March 1975 as the result of an order by the U.S. Environ mental Protection Agency to install Sint, worth of pollution control equipment. The employees at the operation then began a campaign to buy the plant and preserve their jobs. This transfer of ownership was concluded successfully in March this year, with the help of a SI.5m. loan from the Vermont Industrial Development Authority, art extension on compliance with the EPA regulation, and an unusually low price ($400,000) set to the operation by GAF Corp. Powhatan Mining Co. is the USA's only producer of amphifoole asbestos. The anthophyllite mine is situated at Newdale in North Carolina and the company's 700 tpa mill is situated in Baltimore, Maryland. S c rn th A m e ric a BOLIVIA--crocidolite Present production only at pilot plant levels. The Bolivian government has received continuing assistance from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation with a view to setting up a commercial plant producing fibre from a crocidolite deposit near Cochabamba. BRAZIL--chrysoiile S.A. Mineracao de Amianto (controlled by S.A. Tubos Brasilet, a Brazilian subsidiary of Saint-Gobain-Pont-Mousson of France). Operates a mine and mill at Cana Brava, near Uruaca in Goias State. Capacity of operation probably about 40,000 tpa. COLOMBIA--chrysotile No production at present. Asbestos Columbianos S.A. (owned by Eternit Columbiana (70',) and Compania Minera Emmo (30%)). Exploits the Las Brisas deposit near Campamento in the south of the country. The deposit was developed by Nicolet Industries of Canada, who sold its 70% share to Eternit during 1974 (see IM Nov. '74). Although early proposals suggested that a 50,000 tpa plant would be built to start operating by 1976, commercial pro duction is nw expected to begin during 1977 at a rate of 15,000 tpa. A high proportion of recovered fibre is likely to be of QAMA grades 4 and 5. A frica SOUTH AFRICA (i) Amosite Egnep (Pty.) Ltd. (a member of the Cape Group of the UK). Used to operate three mines, all in the Lydenburg district of Transvaal but in future production will be centred on just one operation--that at Penge. The Weltevreden plant has already closed and the mine and mill at Kromellenboog will be closed later this year. Output has been increased at Penge to keep total production at about 100.000 tpa. Eight grades ranging from long fibres over 18mm. to shorts of under 6mm. are produced. (ii) Chrysotile Msauli Asbes Ltd. ' (a member of the Federal Mynbou-- Genera] Mining Group). Chrysotile the Industrial Minerals June 1975 Barberton district of Transvaal is operated by the Msauli subsidiary, African Clirysotile Asbestos Ltd. The operation yielded 8.720 metric tons of fibre in 197-1, a figure that is very dose to its full capacity. QAMA grades -1-7 in clusive are produced. Consolidated African Mines Ltd. operates mines and a mill in the Barberton district of Transvaal. Approximate annual capacity is 8,000 tpa of QAMA grades 1-7 inclusive, although the company is to expand to 12,000 tpa. Principal sales agent is Commonwealth & Overseas Asbestos Corp. (Piy.) Ltd. (iii) Crocidolite Cape Blue Mines [Piy.) ltd . (a member of the Cape Group of the UK). Operates two mine/'mill plants in northern Cape Province--one at Pomfrel and the other at Kocgas/ Westerbcrg. Combined production is of the order of 55,000 tpa and a full range of grades is produced with longest fibres over 35mm. Asbestos Investments (Pty.) Ltd. (a member of the Eternit group). Has two operating subsidiaries--Kuruman Cape Blue Asbestos (Pty.) Ltd. and Danielskuil Cape Blue Asbes tos (Pty.) Ltd. The larger of the two, Kuruman C.B.A., operates two milling plants on the farm Whitebank in northern Cape Province; combined capacity is about 30,000 tpa. Earlier this year, however, the company brought into production a new mine and mill on the farm Klipfontein. This modern mill has a capacity of 18,000 tpa. DanielskuilC.B.A. operates mines on the farm Ouplaas with an annual production capacity of 15,000 metric tons. Target produc tion for the two companies is 60,000 tpa. Griqttaland Exploration & Finance Co. Ltd.--Gefco (a mem ber of the Federal Mynbou--General Mining Group). Operates a number of mines in the Kuruman area of northern Cape Province through subsidiaries such as Coretsi Asbestos (Pty.) Ltd., Merencor Asbestos Mines (Pty.) Ltd., and Griqualand Ashes (Pty;) Ltd. Some mines, such as Meren cor, have their own mill but the main mill is the lilcor mill. Gefco's total fibre production in 197-1 was 52.674 metric tons, which was very close to capacity. Sales arc handled by the wholly-owned subsidiary, Central Asbestos Co. Ltd. of the UK. Valley Asbestos (Pi?/.) Ltd. is essentially the sales organisa tion for three affiliated mining companies-- Groenwater Asbestos Mining Co. (Ply.) Ltd.. Postmnsburg Cape Blue Asbestos (Pty,) Ltd., and Rooipoorl Blue Asbestos (Ply.) Ltd.-~all of which operate in (lie Poslinasburg district of Cape Province. Total fibre production capacity for the group is about 10,000 metric tpa. A range of crocidolite fibres is produced. YVam/rag Asbestos (Pty.) Ltd. operates mines on the farms England and Ettrick and a mill on the farm Depression in the Kuruman district of northern Cape Province. At the moment the company is engaged in opening a new mine in the Danielskuil area. Approximate capacity of the present mill is 11,000 metric tons per annum. The company pro duces three grades of fibre which are eventually blended with the fibres of its sales agents--namely Gefco. N.B. Dublin Consolidated Asbestos Mines (Ply.) Ltd., a subsidiary of Turner 7; Newall of the UK, conducts small scale operations mining crocidolite in the Vryburg district of Cape Province, and amosite near Pietersburg, Transvaal. The company also processes the output of some small mine operators (as do a number of the other major South African producers). SWAZILAND--chrysolile Havelock Asbestos Mines (Swaziland) Ltd. (owned by Turner & Newall of the UK (60%) and the Swaziland Government (40%)). Mine and mill at Havelock is currently operating at a rate of about 37,500 metric tons per annum. Produces high quality fibres of long and medium lengths. World's largest producers of amphibole fibres (CROCIDOLITE & AfVtOSITE) Good filtration for Resilience High strength r Exceptional length Very fast filtration Cape Asbestos Fibres Limited Ive r Lane, Cowley, U xbridge UB8 2JCL Telephone: U xbridge 37111. It.no 1Q-7K ilnHuetrial K/inoralo MARDEP000434 RHODESIA--chrysolite Since UDI few details have been made available on develop ments in the Rhodesian asbestos industry. Rhodesian and Gem-nil Asbestos Corn, (a subsidiary of Turner & Ncwall) continues to dominate the industry with production from three sites--Shab.tni. Oaths, and the new Kin?, mine-- all in the Shabatti area of south central Rhodesia. The only other producer of size is the Asbestos investments group which controls the Pangani, Boss. Vanguard, and Res mines, all in the Bulawayo/Shabani region. Total Rhodesian pro duction in recent years has been variously estimated between 80,000 and 150,000 tpa. Production includes exceptionally high quality long-fibre types. MOZA MBIQU E--a n thophylli te Alinas Gerais de Mocambique Lda. lias been operating a pilot plant for a number of years at a rale of 500/600 tpa of finished anlhophyllitc fibre. A commercial scale mill is currently being installed and is expected to start production by mid-1976. The operation is situated near Vila Pery, inland from the port of Beira. E urope m<$ A sia M inor c y P R U S --chrysotilc Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd. (an associate of Tunnel Portland Cement of the UK. and F. L. Smidth of Denmark) operates a mine and mill at Amiandos in the Troodos mountains of Cyprus. Annual capacity of the mill is between 30,000 and 40,000 metric tons. 1973 production was 31,205 tons, about half of which was medium length fibre and the other half consisted of shorts. Despite last year's troubles (the opera tion remains tinder Greek Cypriot control), exports for 1974 reached a record 32,679 metric tons. FINLAND--anthophyllite Paraisten Kalkki Oy's anthophyllite mine between Kuopio and Joensuu in eastern Finland was closed down in January this year; the mill is expected to close this month (June 1975). In recent years the plant had operated at a level of 6/7.000 tpa of qualities approximating to QAMA grades 4-7. GRF.F.CE--chrysotilc Asbestos Mining Co. of Northern Greece--AlAHUM (owned 51".', by Cerro Corp. of the USA and 49'V. by the Hellenic Industrial Development Bank). Project at Kozani in western Macedonia is currently operating at pilot plant scale but plans arc in hand to install a first stage 50.000 tpa plant, for probable start-up during 1976, and a second stage could take the total capacity to 100,000 tpa by 1980. Fibres will be in the QAMA 1-7 range. ITA LY --chrysotilc and trcm olite Amiautifera di Iialangero SpA (associated with the Eternit group). Chrysotilc mine and mill at San Vittore, north-west of Turin. Current production is currently of the order of J30.000 metric tons per annum of fibres in the QAMA 4-7 range. N.B. Small tonnages of tremolite are produced from two operations, at Sondrio and Aosta, in the Lake Como area. The products consist of long fibre material. TURKEY--chrysotilc According to recent articles in `Asbestos* magazine, six asbestos deposits in Turkey are being worked by asbestos product manufacturers for their own use, among them the Adana Atermit company at Adana in the south of the country. The sum total from all such operations is about 6.000 tpa. However, a larger scale operation has been proposed in the development of the deposit at Tatarcik, near Mihaliccik (east of Eskisehir). The company concerned, Amyant Sanayii A.S., has made tentative plans to build a 10.000 tpa mill, possibly by 1977, and further plans cater for an expansion to 30,000 tpa. USSR--chrysotile Uralasbest Combine, at Asbest near Sverdlovsk in the Urals, is Russia's largest mine/mill operation with a total capacity of about lm. tpa. IRON & STEEL WORKS OF THE WORLD reviews, in considerable detail, the world's major producer's o f pig iron, raw steel, rolled products, galvanized sheets, tinplates, tubes, iron powder and coated strip, and covers some 1,500 works throughout 93 countries. Sixth Edition -- i6 .0 0 post free by seamaii NON-FERROUS METAL WORKS OF THE WORLD review, in equal detail, the world's major non-ferrous metal smelting, refining and semi-fabricating works, and coveis some 2,300 works throughout 90 countries. Second Edition -- 16.00 post free-by seamaii TO: METAL BULLETIN BOOKS LTD, 46 WIGMORE ST, LONDON Will OBJ, ENGLAND Tel: 01-486 4141 Telex: 21383 1 Please send to the address b elo w .............................. copy/ies o f: r n IRON & STEEL WORKS OF THE WORLD (16) I- ] NON-FERROUS METAL WORKS OF *-- 1 THE WORLD (16) NAME____ Remittance o f enclosed ADDRESS, DATE__ V. PAYMENT WITH ORDER PLEASE June 1975 Industrial Minerals SIGNED "MARF'bff: 39 Dzbelijaafa- Combine, atDzhetygara in Kazakhstan (about 300 miles due south of Sverdlovsk) is the second largest with :i' total capacity of about 300,000 tpa. Expansion in progress.: '/ Turaashest Combine, at Ak-Dovurak near Krasnoyarsk (in south central Siberia) has a current capacity of 35,000 tpa, which expansion in progress is expected to double. Kicnibinj Combine, in Orenburg Oblast, is currently under construction, although first stage is thought to be operating. N.B. Other chrysolite deposits have been outlined at Molodezhnoye and ll'chirsk in Buiryal A.S.S.R. and plans have been proposed for their development. YUGOSLAVIA- chrysolile The Bosanko Pelrare Sclo Mine at Tuzla in Bosnia is Yugoslavia's principal asbestos operation with an annual capacity of about 10,000 metric tons of qualities similar to QAMA grades 4-7 inclusive. Smaller operations include the Korlace Asbestos Mina at Raska in Serbia, and the recentlyopened Piccky-Kosottska deposits near Mitrovica. Oceania and the Far East AUSTRALIA--chrysotilc Woodsreef Mines Ltd. (majority owned by Woodsreef Minerals Ltd. of Canada--formerly Pacific Asbestos Ltd. of Canada). Woodsreef Mines in turn owns Chrysotile Corp. of Australia Ply. Lid., the operating company which controls the chrysotile mine and mil! at Woods Reef, near Barraba, in New South Wales. Capacity, of the mill is between 60,000 and 75,000 short tons per annum, depending on the grades being produced. Principal grades correspond to QAMA grades 4-7 inclusive. Asbestos Mines Ptd. Ltd. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of James Hardie Asbestos Ltd.) operates a mine and mill at Baryulgil, near Grafton, N.S.W. The mill produces up to 700 tpa of QAMA Group 4Z which is entirely consumed by the parent company. N.B. Until 1966'Australia was a producer of crocidolitc through the operations of Australian Blue Asbestos Lid. at Witlenoom in Western Australia. After operating for many years at about 15,000 tpa the plant- was eventually closed down for economic reasons. CHINA--chrysotile Estimates for China's total asbestos production vary from 90.000 tpa to as much as 200,000 tpa. Certainly the major producing area is at Shihmien in Szechuan Province, where long fibre chrysotile is produced. Smaller mines are winked at a large number of locations throughout the rest of China. INDIA Deposits of chrysotile and amphibole asbestos types have been located at numerous locations throughout India and several such deposits are mined on a small scale. Until now commercial interest has only found practical form in two deposits--one of chrysotile at Roro in the Singhlihum District of Bihar, which is exploited by Hyderabad Asbestos Cement Products Ltd. and the other an amphibole (amosite) deposit at Hole-Narsipur in the Baba Budan Hills of Mysore where feasibility studies for a possible 10,000 tpa plant are in progress. At present total Indian production is in the region of 11,000 tons. JAPAN--chrysotile Nozawa Asbestos Cement Co. operates a mine and mill at Furano city on the island of Hokkaido. The mill has a capacity' of 20,000 tpa and a production of QAMA grade 7 shorts and tailings. Yamabe Asbestos Co. also produces short chrysotile fibres in the Yamabe District of Hokkaido. TAIWAN--actinolite Seven small producers (mainly of actinolite) produced a total of 5,000 tons of fibre in 1973. All this output was short fibre and was consumed domestically. 2 n d `in d u str ia l Minerals* In tern a tio n a l Congress M unich'Sheraton Hotel, 1 7 -1 8 M ay, 1 9 7 6 (See IM February, page 7, for preliminary details) THE EDITOR, 'Industrial Minerals, 46 Wigmore Street, London W1H OBJ, England. DATE: .... I a m /m y com pany is interested in th is Congress and w o u ld like a p rio rity copy of all circulars. jj If attending, m y /o u r bookings at the Sheraton Hotel w o u ld probably be ....................................... singles j ............ .................... ......... doubles. | M y company does/does not favour paying about DM65 extra for simultaneous translation in German and E nglish/D M 85 extra fo r sim ultaneous translation in German, English, and................................................ I a m /w e are particularly interested in hearing papers on ....................................................................... ............... I am thinking of offering a paper o n ............ ; ............................ .................................................................................... Name: Company, etc.: Address: Position: Telex No. and Answer-back: Telephone No.: 40 Industrial Minerals June 1975