Oil & Gas Market | Barite | Bentonite | Pollucite/Caesium Formate | Gilsonite While it wasn’t quite the usual fizz and excitement of our annual in-person event in Houston where we bring together the great and the good of the world’s oilfield minerals industry for a networking and knowledge extravaganza, our virtual version earlier this year, [...]
Being designated a “critical mineral” in the EU and more recently in the USA has certainly assisted fluorspar’s standing as an exploration target. However, those already in the market have known for some years now that mine closures and production capacity reductions in the West combined with China becoming a net importer, a growing consumer, [...]
China Crisis Deepens | Refra-Horn Recycling JV | Cofermin Magnesia Arm | Alumina Issues Last week’s 64th International Refractories Colloquium held in Aachen, organised by the European Centre for Refractories gGmbH (ECREF) was a somewhat surreal experience: a mix of euphoria and novelty in finally reconnecting with each other again face to face (or mask [...]
Supply & Demand | China | CO2 Reduction | Sensor Sorting | Process Costs | Digitisation | Dolomite | Synthetic MgO | Trading | Chemical Markets In what has proved to be another most challenging year for magnesia minerals supply and markets, we review the highlights and key take-aways of IMFORMED’s MagForum 2021 ONLINE which [...]
Cofermin’s evolution 2: Expanding beyond a Chinese minerals focus Securing Chinese industrial minerals supply for world markets has been a vital and growing role for mineral traders and distributors since the 1980s. And it has never been easy. Today, ongoing issues with primary ore availability, environmental controls, government reforms, process costs, logistics, and most recently [...]
CALL FOR PAPERS | SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES | EARLY BIRD RATES Mineral Recycling Forum 2022 28-30 March Hilton Imperial, Dubrovnik The latest developments in recycling industrial minerals from a range of waste sources, including tailings, refractories, slags, ash and their markets FULL DETAILS HERE IMFORMED Rendezvous 2022 24-26 April Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin (Noordwijk), Amsterdam The [...]
Responding to challenges & change This time last year I was invited by Mining Engineering* journal to write an article as an introduction to its well-established annual review of the industrial minerals industry. I was delighted and honoured to be asked again by ME to write a piece this year. Back then I commented on a “2020 Vision for [...]
Ever sat down on the beach or just anywhere, and picked up an interesting-looking pebble, turned it over, then wondered about its colour, origins, and composition? Well, here’s the ideal companion to that wonderful timeless pastime while lying on the beach, taking a leisurely stroll, or just waiting for the bus: “The Pebble Spotter's Guide” [...]
Refractory Minerals Forum 2021 ONLINE Review Outlook | China | India | Magnesia | Dolomite | Bauxite | Andalusite | Graphite | Chromite As we head towards the halfway mark of what has proved to be another most challenging year for refractory minerals supply, we review the highlights and key take-aways of IMFORMED’s inaugural Refractory Minerals [...]
Global minerals distributor enters new era with new management team IMFORMED reviews Cofermin’s journey and interviews Managing Director Andreas Pabst In its 2015 announcement of the launch of two subsidiaries, Essen-based Cofermin Rohstoffe GmbH & Co. KG quoted the US author of success principles, Robert Collier: “If you don’t make things happen, things will happen to you”. Well, [...]
