As previously announced, Kemira is in the construction phase of a new chemical production facility in Nanjing, China. Many of the products that will be manufactured at this plant are common across different end-use markets, including papermaking and mineral processing. This investment in manufacturing assets is complemented by Kemira’s nearby Shanghai research and development site, which is focused on water quality and quantity management issues.
"In Asia, local manufacturing is an investment in our customers," says Dr. Polycarp Ho, director of oil and mining in APAC. "Mining customers appreciate working with trusted suppliers that offer well-known products. Included in the product portfolio to be manufactured in Nanjing are dispersants, antiscalants, biocides, defoamers, and polymers which are already widely used in mineral processes such as ore beneficiation and water management. We are excited about this investment and the opportunity to share our expertise with customers in this growing market and region."
Dispersants can favourably influence the rheology and viscosity of pigment slurries, water-based circuits, and flotation processes. Kemira is widely regarded as a global leader in providing polyacrylate dispersants as well as applications expertise to kaolin clay and calcium carbonate slurry producers.
Antiscalants are widely used in preventing mineral scale deposits in ore-processing operations and on auxiliary equipment. They can be highly beneficial in improving process efficiency and mineral recovery otherwise hindered by deposition of calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, and other common types of scale. Kemira offers a wide range of antiscalants under the KemGuard brand name that have been proven effective in preventing scale formation and deposition under a wide range of industrial environments that include mild to severe scaling conditions.
Biocides are used to prevent and control microbial growth in pigment slurries. Without the proper biocide selection, this microbiological contamination, can lead to significant problems in the production of finished products, causing changes in rheology, odour, colour, brightness, pH, and other properties. In addition to its LumiKem® monitoring technology, Kemira offers a range of biocides that find wide utility in white pigment slurries.
Defoamers exhibit knockdown properties to control process upsets in solvent extraction circuits and in flotation circuits resulting from an excess of froth formation. Kemira is a significant defoamer supplier to a major global producer of rare earth minerals.
Emulsion polymers are widely used to accomplish liquid/solid separation in process and tailings streams. Although dry polymers are often the products of choice to serve remote mining applications, the higher molecular weight emulsion polymers produced in Nanjing will provide unique benefits in some applications. Kemira offers the industry standard Superfloc® line of high molecular weight, high-charge anionic flocculants for alumina washer train applications and superior ultra-high molecular weight emulsions for coal dewatering.
Kemira Oil and Mining offers a large selection of innovative chemical extraction and process solutions for the oil and mining industries, where water plays a central role. Utilising our expertise, we enable our customers to improve efficiency and productivity.