Mike O'Driscoll

About Mike O'Driscoll

Mike has over 30 years experience in the international mining and minerals industry, specialising in industrial minerals and markets, for which he is widely recognised as a leading expert. After serving 26 years at Industrial Minerals (IM) magazine – 17 years as Editor – Mike left IM in 2014 to pursue an independent career in the industrial minerals business, and launched IMFORMED in January 2015 with Ismene Clarke. Read more >

Proppant promise from Australian fly ash

Ecopropp’s sintering kiln undergoing inspection in December 2014. A ceramic proppant pilot plant, using fly ash as feedstock raw material, is planned to be commissioned in early 2015. Courtesy Ecopropp Pty Ltd. A pilot plant to be operated by Ecopropp Pty Ltd in Australia for producing ceramic proppants manufactured from fly ash is [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:26+00:00Friday, 9 January, 2015|Newsfile|1 Comment

Proppant players feel the squeeze

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”. [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:26+00:00Friday, 9 January, 2015|Newsfile|Comments Off on Proppant players feel the squeeze

Proppant players in Europe: ceramic proppant options limited as Baltic Ceramics gears up

Laying concrete foundations for Baltic Ceramics' new 60,000 tpa ceramic proppants plant at Lubsko, near Zielona Gora, western Poland, expected on stream by the second half of 2015. Feedstock for the new plant will come from Baltic Ceramics’ own high alumina kaolin close to the plant, as well as possibly using bauxite from Greece, [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:26+00:00Friday, 9 January, 2015|Newsfile|Comments Off on Proppant players in Europe: ceramic proppant options limited as Baltic Ceramics gears up

Shale gas market in Europe remains uncertain

The frac pad at San Leon Energy’s Lewino-1G2 well in Poland's northern Baltic Basin. Described as “the best single frac in a vertical well in European shale”, the operation used 30/50 mesh ceramic proppants. Engineering for a horizontal multi-fracking operation is continuing. Courtesy San Leon Energy Plc. Further withdrawals by overseas oil and [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:26+00:00Friday, 9 January, 2015|Newsfile|Comments Off on Shale gas market in Europe remains uncertain

Mining supergroups – do industrial minerals get a look-in?

Richards Bay Minerals, South Africa. Copyright © 2014 Rio Tinto. 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 [...]

By |2024-03-22T05:52:26+00:00Monday, 22 December, 2014|Newsfile|Comments Off on Mining supergroups – do industrial minerals get a look-in?