Abstract
Some highlights from the report
World demand for bentonite and fuller' s earth is forecast to rise by an
average of 2.2%py from 20Mt in 2007 to 22.4Mt in 2012. Growth will be led by
the foundry sand sector (5%py), filtering and decolourising of edible oils,
industrial oils, solvents and chemicals (5%py) and iron ore pelletising
(3%py). The highest rates of growth will be found in Asia, notably China, and
in South America where demand will be driven by the requirements of the iron
ore pelletising and foundry sands markets. The main regional markets for
bentonite are North America (7.5Mt), Asia (5.6Mt) and Europe (5Mt), although
there are significant variations in the pattern of consumption within each of
these regions. These variations depend partly on the types of locally
occurring, and also on the degree of industrialisation. In industrialising
economies, applications in the iron and steel industries are one of the main
demand drivers, whereas in mature economies consumer applications, such as pet
litter, predominate. Production in 2007 was concentrated in the USA (5Mt), the
EU (2.8Mt) and China (an estimated 2.5Mt). Over the period 1997 to 2007,
production grew in the USA, the former Soviet Union and China, but fell in the
EU. US companies are the largest producers, accounting for around a third of
total world output in 2007. Chinese output is estimated to have grown by over
11%py in the six years to 2007. Other important sources include Turkey,
Greece, Russia and India.
In Europe and North America production of bentonite and fuller' s earth is
dominated by a small number of corporate groups, most of which are integrated
into downstream activities. AMCOL of the USA is the world' s largest producer
of bentonite with a capacity of over 2Mtpy. In Europe, S&B Industrial Minerals
of Greece and Süd-Chemie of Germany are the main producers, each with a
capacity of more than 1Mtpy. AMCOL and Süd-Chemie are extending their
global base by establishing production bases in BRIC.
At least 0.8Mtpy of additional bentonite capacity is planned to be opened by
2009 with further capacity expected to come on-stream by 2012. The global
industry should be able to raise output to meet forecast growth in demand over
the next five years, although supplies of sodium bentonite may become tighter
in the short term.
A detailed global study
The report contains over 280 pages, illustrated with 233 tables and 23 figures.
Main sections
- 1. Summary
- 2. Mineralogy and reserves
- 3. World production of bentonite and fuller' s earth
- 4. Production and processing of bentonite and fuller' s earth by country
and country
- 5. International trade in bentonite and fuller' s earth
- 6. Consumption of bentonite and fuller' s earth
- 7. End uses for bentonite and fuller' s earth
- 8. Prices of bentonite and fuller' s earth
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