IMFORMED launches new platform for industrial minerals networking and research, announcing high profile Forums on mineral logistics, oilfield, and foundry markets.
A new source of information and networking events dedicated to the global industrial minerals business was launched in January 2015. Topically focused forums for the mineral logistics, oilfield, and foundry markets have been announced for […]
Ceramic proppant producer Oxane Materials Inc. is to close its Van Buren, Arkansas plant on 23 January 2015.
News of the closure was delivered on 24 November in a letter to Van Buren Mayor Bob Freeman from Chris Coker, president of Oxane Materials; a shocked Freeman was reported as saying “The news was completely unexpected”.
It’s a […]
With European shale gas development a question of an uncertain when, rather than if, it would seem prudent for those wishing to enter a looming proppant market to start securing suitable reserves and preparing production facilities and logistics chains.
Unlike frac sand, there is no large scale commercially developed ceramic proppant plant in Europe. However, Baltic […]
For all the talk of shale gas development in Europe and thus a thriving market for proppant demand, so far there has been little for potential proppant developers and investors to grasp onto.
It would seem likely, however, given the potential of shale gas resources across Europe and the drive for cheaper, and where possible, cleaner […]
A pilot plant to be operated by Ecopropp Pty Ltd in Australia for producing ceramic proppants manufactured from fly ash is aiming for completion in December 2014 and commissioning in January 2015.
Ceramic proppants are mainly derived from specific grades of bauxite and/or kaolin, and in one case, magnesium silicate.
Sources of such raw materials are not […]
Barite Mud Services Inc. (BMS) is looking to rejuvenate Newfoundland’s drilling grade barytes resource.
Some 600,000 tonnes of barytes are claimed to be hosted by tailings ponds near Buchans, central Newfoundland, created from a former base metal mining operation.
Timing is all, with recent finds suggesting potentially huge oil and gas offshore fields in the region and […]
Glencore acquiring Rio Tinto would have established a world mining supergroup. For the time being it now looks as if the deal is off, with both parties now assessing options as the mineral community ponders such grand scale mergers.
With Glencore’s established might in copper, zinc/lead, nickel, ferroalloys, alumina/aluminium, iron ore, and coal, it is easy […]
