Wollastonite glut a growing concern

Total annual production of wollastonite could approach 500,000 tonnes by 1995, according to a report from Roskill Information Services of London, England. Consequently, world demand could be exceeded by at least 50,000 tonnes per year.

The Economics of Wollastonite 1993 explains that, since the 1950s, production has become less dominated by the U.S. (NYCO and RT Vanderbuilt being the largest sources) and more disseminated. China, for example, which only began commercial extraction in the 1970s, has increased output to levels approaching those of the U.S. Significantly, much of that is exported. The American share of the market, which peaked in 1976 at 85%, has fallen to around 30% this year. However, since 1976, the wollastonite market increased considerably, leading to higher output the world over.

In 1983, output from major producers (excluding China) was about 126,043 tonnes. By 1985, the total (including China) was estimated to be 270,000 tonnes. Today, output continues to increase, with 1992 production estimated to be 385,000 tonnes.

This increase in production is related to sustainable increases in demand as well as improvements in exploration and beneficiation. Strong demand has stepped up exploration in some countries. Greece, for example, where the market has been served traditionally by imports, is now a domestic producer. High demand in industrialized market economies such as Germany has rendered economic the production of synthetic wollastonite from indigenous raw materials. Several new deposits have been investigated, beginning in the late 1980s, following a rise in the price of the mineral (the higher price being the result of a slight shortfall in supply).

This activity coincided with three developments in the wollastonite market: reports of an attempted takeover of NYCO, the world’s largest producer; the announcement of a 3-stage ban, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, of rival asbestiform materials; and peak consumption of wollastonite in end-use markets such as ceramics, plastics, construction and automobiles. In the major consuming countries, Roskill estimates, about 45% of wollastonite is consumed in ceramics, 21% as fillers in plastics, 17% in metallurgical end-uses, 14% in asbestos replacement and 2% in paints. All four of the major end-uses are expected to grow in the 1990s. By 1995, world demand is expected to reach between 320,000 and 450,000 tonnes per year. It is believed that this will rise to 750,000 by the year 2000, with 65% used in asbestos replacement. Replacing asbestiform materials now accounts for about 15% of consumption, but several new and potential producers of wollastonite have mentioned the growth in this area as their major incentive for entering the market.

The Economics of Wollastonite 1993 is 138 pages and costs US$900. It is available from Roskill Information Services Ltd., 2 Clapham Road, London, England, SW9 0JA.