manufacturers deliberately incorporateadditional quantities of carbon black,zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide toserve as light-screening agents.

Major Chinese producers of lightstabilisers include: Beijing HuashanAssistants, Wenzhou PlasticChemical Assistants and ZhenjiangQianjin Chemical Works.

China Chemical Reporter, 16 Nov 2003, 14 (32), 21-22

PLANTSAustralia: Austpac – TiO2 feedstock

Austpac is evaluating sites in easternAustralia for the establishment of itsfirst commercial-scale synrutile plant,employing its patented ERMS-SRtechnology. The plant will be designedto produce 30,000 tonnes/y ofsynrutile. Consolidated Rutile hasagreed to supply Austpac with 70,000tonnes/y of high-chrome ilmenite,from its mining operations on NorthStradbroke Island, just off the coast ofQueensland. Iluka, the world’s leadingsupplier of synrutile, has agreed topurchase the entire synrutile output.Both agreements are subject to thecompletion of satisfactory feasibilitystudies.

Iluka can also obtain exclusivelicensing rights for the ERMS-SRtechnology, subject to certainconditions. Iluka will also have anoption to buy a 10% financial stake inAustpac.

TiO2 Worldwide Update, Sep/Dec 2003, 11 (5/6), 5-6& Industrial Minerals, Dec 2003, (435), 16

Brazil: CPS Color – pigment pastes

CPS Color (of Vantaa, Finland) hasbrought on-stream a plant in Brazil forthe manufacture of coloured pigmentpastes. Production from this newsource will compensate for the loss ofoutput from the company’sPhiladelphia plant in the US, which isscheduled for closure. Laboratory anddistribution facilities at Philadelphiawill be retained.

CPS Color is the world’s largestsupplier of tinting systems andassociated colorants. It had been asubsidiary of Tikkurila within theKemira group, but it was floated off asa separate entity in October 2000.

Farbe und Lack, Nov 2003, 109 (11), 70 (in German)

Brazil: Imerys – CaCO3 & kaolin

Following the successful expansion ofits Rio Capim kaolin operations innorthern Brazil to 800,000 tones/y inMay 2003, Imerys has outlined plansto increase its calcium carbonatecapacity in Brazil from 140,000tonnes/y to 160,000 tonnes/y at a costof $5†M. The expansion should becompleted during the second half of2004. As a result, the company’sannual sales revenues from calciumcarbonate should be increased by $3 M.

Meanwhile, Imerys has suffered asetback in its kaolin operations in thesoutheast of the country. Theseoperations were inherited from theEnglish China Clays group andconsist of the Sao Caetano andBianchi mines and a cycloning/screening facility, all in the Mogi dasCruzes area. CETESB, the provincialenvironmental authority, recentlynotified Imerys of the expiry of itsenvironmental permit for running the60,000 tonnes/y processing facility. Thefacility has been temporarily shut down,but is expected to reopen before theend of February 2004.

For full-year 2003, Imerys isanticipating kaolin sales revenues tobe of the order of $60 M in respect ofits southeastern operations, while thenorthern operations should contribute$180 M. While the Mogi das Cruzesoperations produce filler grades ofkaolin for sale to Brazilianpapermakers, 99% of the kaolin outputfrom Rio Capim Caulim is exported.

BNAmericas Mining News, 29 Dec 2003 & 2 Jan 2004(Business News Americas Ltda, Website:http://www.Bnamericas.com)

China, India, Japan & Singapore:Ishihara – TiO2

Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha (ISK)currently operates two TiO2 plants inJapan, with a combined capacity of154,000 tonnes/y, and a plant inSingapore with a capacity of 45,000tonnes/y. At the present time, all threeplants are running at full capacity.Debottlenecking measures are beingintroduced to increase effectivecapacity. Within the next few years,ISK may invest in a new TiO2 plant inIndia or China.

The company has always been asubstantial exporter of TiO2 pigment.With the latest expansion moves, it

intends to increase its market share inChina beyond the current 15% leveland it intends to increase its marketshare in Southeast Asia beyond thecurrent 20% level.

Japan Chemical Week, 20 Nov 2003, 44 (2246), 12

China: Degussa – plastics colorants

Degussa is planning to establishfacilities in Shanghai to make plasticcolorants and polyesters for sale toChinese customers.

Chemical and Engineering News, 8 Dec 2003, 81 (49),12-13 (Website: http://www.cen-online.org)

China: DuPont – TiO2

The opening of DuPont’s newcustomer service centre in Shanghaiwas covered in ‘Focus on Pigments’,Oct 2003, 3. Subsequently, furtherdetails on this project were publishedin ‘EPRN’, viz: the Shanghai centrenot only provides comprehensiveafter-sales and technical supportservices, it also has warehousingfacilities and can offer TiO2 pigment inslurry form to cater for customersmaking water-based paints.

Meanwhile, DuPont has alsoannounced plans to invest $100 M toestablish a new fluorochemicals andpolymers facility in Jiangsu province.

European Paint and Resin News, Nov 2003, 41 (11), 12

China: Huntsman Tioxide – TiO2

Ningbo (Zhejiang province) hasbecome a major centre for thechemical industry: ten paint producersand three dyes manufacturers havefactories here. Total capacity of plantscurrently operating at Ningboincludes: 80,000 tonnes/y of sulfuricacid; 27,000 tonnes/y of chlorine; and2500 tonnes/y of o-toluidine and o-and p-nitrotoluene. The localgovernment is keen to attract moreinvestment from foreign chemicalmanufacturers. During 2002,Huntsman Tioxide was reportedlyevaluating a site in Ningbo forestablishing a TiO2 pigments plant.

China Chemical Reporter, 6 Nov 2003, 14 (31), 11

China: Laizhou & Haidiren – kaolin

Shandong Laizhou Gold Group CoLtd and Beijing Haidiren ResourcesConsulting Co Ltd have agreed to

JANUARY 2004 5

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