Aluminated at Aachen’s ICR26: Refractory market reality check | New BFA plants
Just like London buses, you wait for one new brown fused alumina (BFA) plant to be built outside China for the western market, then three come along at once! (Almatis/ROMCO - Bautek - First Bauxite,...
View ArticleIndustrial minerals recycling: What’s going on?
The industrial minerals recycling evolution is gathering momentum fast as more companies, organisations, and governments realise that this sector will be imperative not only for contributing to the...
View ArticleRefractory bauxite recognised as “critical” by US
US Dept. of War invests $85m in Guyana bauxite, with US BFA plant to come You could be forgiven for almost missing it amongst the plethora of Executive Orders and Fact Sheets emanating from The White...
View ArticleFluorspar forges ahead with project pursuits
Fluorspar project development is receiving another boost this year with a raft of project updates and new players seeking to join the critical mineral bandwagon for fluorspar. Across the board trends...
View ArticleSalt market trends: demand for volume & higher purity
In a nutshell, world demand for salt is increasing, both for volume supply (especially in Asia) and for higher purity salt grades. This has placed a challenge for salt source developers and salt...
View ArticleGreening the future of industrial minerals
Reviewing the evolution, drivers & status of industrial mineral recycling Foreword to Mining Engineering’s IM Annual Review July 2026 by Mike O’Driscoll* The future for the industrial minerals...
View ArticleFluorine market outlook: new sources, processes & applications
With rising recognition of fluorspar’s “criticality” in its derivatives’ use in lithium-ion batteries and semiconductors, not to mention mainstay applications in fluorochemicals, steel, aluminium, and...
View ArticleMagnesia market makes waves at Maggiore
Good vibrations were felt all around at last week’s MagForum 2026 held by IMFORMED at the Grand Dino Hotel, Baveno, on the wonderful Lake Maggiore, Italy, 18-20 May. Amid the beautiful backdrop of...
View ArticleMineral Recycling Mediterranean Meet
Last month IMFORMED held its Mineral Recycling Forum 2026 in sunny Mandelieu-La Napoule during 15-17 April at the Pullman Cannes Mandelieu. As usual this annual event brought together leading...
View ArticleIndustrial minerals & recycling far from small beer in Munich
Last week saw the great and the good of the ceramics and refractories world descend on the Bavarian capital of Munich for ceramitec 2026. Raw materials for ceramic and refractory manufacturing were...
View ArticleCeramics score top market for minerals
Thursday 12 March 2026 was the inaugural "International Day of Ceramics", a global initiative launched by the International Ceramic Federation and the Japan Fine Ceramics Association, and supported by...
View ArticleMagnesia market assesses its future
Critical Mineral Status | Supply | New Sources | Decarbonisation | Refractories | Chemicals | Hydrometallurgy | Agrimarkets One of the most important suites of industrial minerals are those containing...
View ArticleRefractories usage to rise with increased recycling
The refractories industry is facing some challenging headwinds, especially in Europe, but certain factors, plus bright spots expected from steel market performance in India, the Middle East and...
View ArticleMineral recycling: the smart solution for sourcing & the Circular Economy
Industrial minerals recycling has never been more important in today’s and tomorrow’s markets. With consumer overreliance on limited mineral sources, vulnerable supply chains, and the prevailing...
View Article2026: Let IMFORMED bring the mineral markets together for you this year
RECYCLING | MAGNESIA | FLUORINE | SALT As IMFORMED enters its twelfth year of business (Already?!? What happened?!?), Mike and Maria would like to thank all our customers, sponsors, supporters,...
View ArticleSuperb Salt Forum 2025 in Abu Dhabi
IMFORMED’s Salt Forum 2025 took place in the Abu Dhabi InterContinental last week attracting 100 attendees from 34 countries, active in all stages of salt supply and demand. A wide range of key topics...
View ArticleFantastico Fluorine Forum 2025
Fluorine Forum 2025 took place 3 weeks ago at Baveno, Lake Maggiore, Italy. What an event! Whether learning about increased Chinese fluorspar capacity, FSA developments in Morocco and Italy, latest...
View ArticleIMFORMED at UNITECR 2025, Cancun
IMFORMED has just spent the week at the superb UNITECR 2025 in Cancun, where the global refractories community met for four days of networking, exhibits, and presentations. A wide range of refractory...
View ArticleAndalusite from Peru to the world
In the far north of Peru, more than 1,000km north of Lima, in the arid countryside near the port city of Paita, in Paita Province, lies an alluvial deposit of andalusite that is the world’s fourth...
View ArticleFluorspar future source potential reviewed
Anyone scanning the fluorspar supply sector right now cannot have ignored the uptick in activity and attention to mine development projects for this specialist industrial mineral. Fluorspar has...
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