| NOT JUST FOR INDIGESTION . | |
| White (white firing) non-swelling clay – Also called China Clay |
|
| Dominantly kaolinite | |
| World Production 30mtpa (US$3b) | |
| Export markets 9mtpa |
Commercial Economics
PREMIUM
GRADE CRITERIA
| A high priced Kaolin has : | |
| Superior Brightness | |
| Superior Whiteness | |
| Desired particle size | |
| High opacity (good hiding power) | |
| Chemical purity | |
| Low viscosity (for paper markets) | |
| Other properties – abrasivity, conductivity, etc |
|
Pigment markets –
Brightness Competitors
| Pigment Price per tonne (A$) | |
| TiO2 $3500 – $6000 | |
| CaCO3 $350 – $500 |
|
| Kaolin $200 – $1200 | |
| Kaolin gives good performance for the price |
|
| Paper demand increases with GDP | |
| Asian paper production to overtake USA by 2010* |
|
| Asia imports Kaolin from: | |
| Georgia Brazil UK | |
| * Source: Pulp and Paper Magazine | |
| Economic deposits mainly weathering related |
|
| Associated with laterite and bauxite | |
| Formed in wet/dry tropical climate | |
| Over 1500m rain pa | |
| Leaching process | |
| More water flow (fresh water & permeability) |
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| More time | |||
| More bugs | |||
| Acid groundwater (oxidising organics) | |||
| Parent is only important if time is short or leaching is slow. |
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| Ferrous leached more easily than ferric. |
|
| Least iron just below lowest water table |
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| But leaching is slow below the water table |
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| Organic grey kaolins formed here. | |
| Feldspars & clays kaolinite | |
| Kaolinite increases in grain size | |
| The perfect kaolin recipe – Formed below water table then raised above it |
| Cannot separate kaolinite from other clays by sedimentation. |
|
| All commercial kaolins are formed in situ (Pickering & Hurst 1997) |
|
| Ball clays? (70% disordered kaolin). | |
SKARDON RIVER KAOLIN –
discovery
.
| Andrew White in 1985 | |
| 19 holes | |
| 2 in lease | |
| Target of Bulimba kaolin found; | |
| Older weathering kaolin noted. | |
| Samples to CSIRO |
SKARDON RIVER KAOLIN – exploration
history pre SRK
| 1986 – Drilled 93 holes – geology only | |
| 1987 – 1990 Bulk sampling & testwork | |
| 1993 – 188 RC holes – geology & clay |
|
| 1994 – 10 DD holes | |
| 1994 – 97 – Testing selected drill samples |
|
| 1997 – 207 RC holes – poor control |
| No initial raw values | |
| Did not relate metallurgy to geology | |
| Poor technical knowledge at board level | |
| Moving goal posts | |
| Rolls Royce plant | |
| Major cost over-runs | |
| No coordination of consultants/contractors |
| Hydrous Kaolins | ||
| Plant capacity 75,000 tpa | ||
| Wide range of industrial applications | ||
| Represents the bulk of world supply | ||
| Target of paint & rubber markets | ||
| Calcined Kaolins | ||
| Plant capacity 75,000 tpa | ||
| Higher performance | ||
| Better brightness, opacity | ||
| Competes with TiO2 | ||
| Premium price | ||
| Limited number of producers | ||
| Paint, rubber, paper | ||
| Georgia, USA | ||
| Amazon, Brazil | ||
| Cornwall, UK .the odd one out | ||
| Hercynian granite 280mA | ||
| Debate weathering vs hydrothermal | ||
| Coarse grained well crystallised kaolin | ||
| Very limited available resources | ||
| Product yield 15-20% | ||
| Cretaceous and Tertiary bedded kaolins | |
| Exposed just south of Fall Line | |
| Cap bentonite | |
| Cretaceous 60% -2micron | |
| Tertiary 85% -2micron | |
| ADVANTAGES | |
| Two types of kaolin | |
| Expertise | |
| Reputation | |
| Transport for E USA & Europe | |
| DISADVANTAGES | |
| Older updated plants | |
| Mine locations | |
| High stripping ratios | |
| Transport to Asia |
| Under bauxite exposed on slopes. | |
| Rio Jari Pliocene, very fine grained 75% -2 micron. 36m thick deposit. |
|
| Rio Capim also Tertiary. Coarser than Jari. Thinner and some grit. |
| ADVANTAGES | |
| Fine Kaolin | |
| Modern plant | |
| DISADVANTAGES | |
| Pipeline distance | |
| Transport to Asia | |
Summary of the Skardon
River Kaolin Project
| Long mine life | |
| Growing international demand | |
| Premium products | |
| Exceedingly low CAPEX entry price | |
| Best logistics for Asia | |
| Marketing and distribution agreements | |
| Technical Management Expertise |