this total, 22,500 tonnes/y is accountedfor by plants that are wholly- or partly-owned by foreign companies.Shenyang Chemical is the mostprominent Chinese company and it isthe only one that has developedproprietary technology for making high-grade fumed silica, with a specific areaof more than 200 sq m/g.

China Chemical Reporter, 6 May 2009, 20 (13), 20

India imposes anti-dumping duties oncarbon black imports

Phillips (part of the RP Goenka group),Hi-Tech Carbon (part of the Aditya Birlagroup) and Continental Carbon India(CCI, which is majority controlled byChina Synthetic Rubber of Taiwan)jointly filed an official complaint lastDecember about foreign suppliersselling carbon black in India at “lessthan normal value.” (See ‘Focus onPigments’, Feb 2009, 4-5).

Investigation by the DirectorateGeneral of Anti-dumping & AlliedDuties revealed that during the year toend-March 2006, imports of carbonblack from Australia, China, Russia,Iran, Malaysia and Thailandamounted to only 20,746 tonnes.They more than doubled over the nexttwo years, reaching 53,652 tonnes in2007/08. The Directorate Generaldetermined that dumping by suppliersfrom these six countries had occurredand had caused material injury toIndian carbon black producers.Therefore, anti-dumping dutiesranging from $78 to $195 per tonneshould be levied on imports of carbonblack from Australia, China, Russia,Iran, Malaysia and Thailand.

Business Line, 6 Jun 2009, 16 (156), 10 & ChemicalWeekly, 16 Jun 2009, 54 (44), 132

PLANTSAustralia: Tronox & Exxaro – TiO2

During 2Q 2009, Tiwest beganconstruction of the fifth line at itsKwinana TiO2 pigment plant inWestern Australia. This will raisecapacity here from 110,000 tonnes/yto 150,000 tonnes/y, with completionanticipated early next year. Tiwestwas originally established in the late1980s as a 50:50 joint venturebetween Kerr-McGee (of the US) andMinproc (of Australia). Following

several changes of ownership to bothparent companies, Tiwest hasbecome a 50:50 joint venture betweenExxaro (of South Africa) and Tronox(of the US). Tronox declaredbankruptcy in January 2009 and it isoperating under a Court order, whichrequires it to sell all its assets by theend of August 2009. (See also ‘Focuson Pigments’, Mar 2009, 6). Exxaro isexpected to buy-out the Tronox stakein Tiwest.

Total investment in the currentexpansion project has been budgetedat A$100 M, which will be fully fundedby Exxaro. The project will involve150 new jobs in the constructionphase, with a requirement for anadditional 12 full-time plant operatingstaff once the plant is up and running.

Prospect, Jun-Aug 2009, 29

Canada: Canadian Wollastonite –wollastonite

Canadian Wollastonite is a privatelyowned company, registered in Ontarioin 2001. Its main objective is todevelop a high-grade wollastonitedeposit located north of the River StLawrence in eastern Ontario. Thedeposit is about 1 km south of theSeeley’s Bay municipality, about 26km north of Kingston. Reserves herehave been assessed at more than 9M tonnes. The company is currentlybuilding a pilot-scale plant, designedto produce up to 15,000 tonnes/y ofwollastonite and 10,000 tonnes/y ofdiopside (a type of pyroxene), whichshould be ready for operation beforethe end of 2009.

Industrial Minerals, Jun 2009, (501), 9 & Jul 2009,(502), 12

China: Clariant, Panchem & KunmingGaoHeng – P2O5 for quinacridone

Clariant has entered into a jointventure with Kunming GaoHengHuagong Chemical Industry Co Ltdand Panchem International Trading &Industrial Co to build a newphosphorus pentoxide plant atKunming (Yunnan province). Theplant should be ready to start-up in1Q 2010. Its capacity has not beenidentified. Some of the output will beused captively by Clariant for themanufacture of quinacridonepigments, Exolit flame retardants, andHordaphos corrosion-inhibitors and

degreasing agents; the rest will besold to companies makingagrochemicals and healthfoods. Thenew Kunming plant will supplementproduction from Clariant’s existingphosphorus pentoxide plant atKnapsack (Germany).

Chemical Engineering World, May 2009, 44 (5), 20

China: Huber – precipitated silica

In line with the project schedule,Huber Engineered Materials started-up its 40,000 tonnes/y precipitatedsilica plant at Qingdao (Shandongprovince) in June 2009. This will bringthe total of Huber’s precipitated silicaplants up to seven, the other six beinglocated at: Havre de Grace, MD andEtowah, TN (in the US); Oostende(Belgium); Hamina (Finland);Uddevalla (Sweden); and Jhagadia(India).

Parfums, Cosmetiques Actualités, Jun/Jul 2009,(207), 36 (in French)

China: Songyu Nanometer Technology– nanoparticulate calcium carbonate

Songyu Nanometer Technology(Linwu) Co Ltd recently opened a new80,000 tonnes/y nanoparticulatecalcium carbonate (NCC) plant atLinwu (near Chenzhou, Hunanprovince). The plant cost Rmb 68 M(about $10 M) to build.

China Chemical Reporter, 16 Jun 2009, 20 (17), 17

Clariant – plastics colorants

Clariant has completed a programmefor modernising its plastic colorantsfacilities in France. At its plant in StJeoire en Faucigny (in Haute Savoie),where the company employs 60people, it has modified five of its 10production lines so as to produce theSPC (single pigment concentrate)range. Clariant has also established aplastic colorants technical supportcentre at Cergy St Christophe (innorthwestern Paris).

Plastiques et Caoutchoucs Magazine, Jun 2009, (867),26 (in French)

Europe: Huntsman – TiO2

Faced with a serious downturn in TiO2pigment demand onwards from 4Q2008, Huntsman held a series of talkswith trade union representatives at its

AUGUST 2009 5

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