Rio Tinto Minerals (RTM), which claims to supply almost 50% of the world’s refined borates, has reported that its 2014 borates production was up 3% over 2013 to 508,000 tonnes B2O3 content. [...]

Oil price crisis, what crisis? Despite apparent gloom for the outlook of drilling activity and its impact on oilfield mineral demand, M-I SWACO appears to be pressing ahead with plans to open a new barytes [...]

Constructing the new barytes grinding plant, designed by The Mouat Co. Inc., at Halliburton’s Dunphy, Nevada facility, in 2014. The completed processing plant is the largest barytes plant in the world, and which now [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]