Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/318453
54 www.resourceworld.com j u n e / j u l y 2 0 1 4 You can't see it, but the mica-like mineral known as pyrophyllite touches our lives in many ways. The soft and comparatively rare aluminum silicate is used in the manu- facturing of plastics, paints, coatings, paper, rubber, automobiles, electronics, garden furniture, ceramics, adhesives, fiberglass, and products used in agriculture, for per- sonal care, as well as some heavy industrial products. From its 50,000-tonne/year mine and milling facility near St. John's, Newfoundland, private company Trinity Resources Ltd. produces four aluminum silicate products from the 20 million tonne+ deposit, namely, Altifil™, Altiplus™, Altibright™ and Altiblock™. The process- ing facility also removes any impurities from the ore. Due to its natural character- istics pyrophyllite can provide a very white and brighter industrial mineral alternative to talc and kaolin. Altiplus is used in many forms of plastic, including nylon, polyurethane, polypro- pylene, PVC and other vinyl-based resins, polystyrene, phenolic, polyethylene and thermoset polyesters. Altiplus, as well as Altibright are good for use in paint and coatings as they improve sanding of primer and paint layers, aid in ease of application, handling and storage and help prevent aging and cracking of paint layers. Trinity Resources recently introduced a new antiblock additive to the plastic film industry, called Altiblock. "Talc, nepheline syenite and diatomaceous earth (DE) have been the incumbent high per- formance antiblock minerals in plastic films for a long time. The morphology of our Altiblock combines the best attributes of talc, nepheline syenite and DE into one product. By focusing on our logistics and manufacturing costs we are able balance the cost to performance equation for film processors throughout the NAFTA region," said John Hurley, President and CEO. Plastic film encompasses a wide range of applications including plastic bags, food packaging, shrink wrap, horticultural films, and even video film tape. What prevents two layers of plastic film from sticking together (eg; a garbage bags) is the anti- blocking mineral which is added during the manufacturing process. Trinity's Altiblock is a new alternative additive for plastic film manufacturers. "Over the past 24 months, Trinity has embarked on an aggressive product and market development program," said Hurley. "Within the NAFTA region we have identified over 2,000,000 tonnes of market opportunity with a goal of Trinity supplying in the range of 150,000 tonnes to our target markets within the next three years. If we include markets outside of the NAFTA region we can look to add to this opportunity." "Trinity's deposit of pyrophyllite is very pure, void of arsenic, lead and asbestos impurities. The low iron content and lack of manganese provides the high bright- ness, affording Trinity the ability to offer an extender for titanium dioxide as well. We essentially have the chemistry of a kaolin clay with the morphology of a high aspect ratio talc structure," Hurley added. n MININGWORLD trinity Resources produces pyrophyllite for many uses by Ellsworth Dickson The pyrophyllite mine of Trinity Resources in Newfoundland produces four aluminum silicate products. Photo courtesy Trinity Resources Ltd.