MINERAL FILLERS | INNOVATION
Mineral filler industry targets sustainability
Sustainability and supply security now rank alongside performance and cost in mineral filler selection, reports Jennifer Markarian
With consumers globally becoming more aware of sustainability and carbon footprint, the importance of these issues is beginning to work its way back through the entire manufacturing supply chain. The mineral filler industry is no exception to this trend but while users may be beginning to place a greater focus on environmental impact, supply issues are also top of mind.
“I believe de-risking supply chain is a key trend, even more so than sustainability or recycling. Companies want to make sure they have local options for product to ensure minimal supply risks and costs,” says Brian Hanrahan, CEO of Lumina Sustainable Materials. Formerly known as Hudson Greenland, Hanra- han says the company recently rebranded to reflect its sustainability message. It mines and processes anorthosite from a deposit in Greenland (see the June 2021 issue of Compounding World for more on its sourcing). The ore is shipped to multiple sites for milling and surface treatment to produce the Greenspar multi-functional additive, which can provide anti-blocking, toughness, reinforcement, pigmentation, and rheology benefits, according to the company. Lumina is currently finalising its site choice for a
US operation along the Ohio River and is hoping to have the facility operational by the end of 2022. In addition to mineral processing, the facility will have a material development lab and pilot plant for developing new products and processes.
www.compoundingworld.com “We want to use logistics as a major sustainability
driver. Our material is mined and processed right on the coast in Greenland. The ore is then shipped by boat directly to our milling site on the Ohio River. Water freight uses less than 10% of the energy and carbon footprint of over the road transport,” says Hanrahan. In addition to the Midwest-US facility, which will be its first, the company plans to set up local processing plants to produce identical products in other regions globally. Lumina sees potential to develop new solutions for polymers using surface treatments, custom chemistry and blends. “For example, one opportu- nity is replacing high carbon footprint additives, such as calcined clay, with non-thermally treated minerals, which use custom chemistry to give similar performance. This is a great fit for wire and cable or glass/mineral hybrids to lower both carbon footprint and cost,” says Hanrahan.
Talc trends Talc has long been used as a functional filler, where it can replace a percentage of the polymer to both reduce cost and improve key physical properties. Different grades of talc are prepared for various requirements. For example,
Right: Lumina Sustainable Materials Greenspar anorthosite filler is mined on the west coast of Greenland
June 2022 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 17
Main image: Arctic Mineral’s AquaFlex oolitic aragonite is harvested from the ocean as egg-shaped beads that are subsequently milled to filler-sized particles
IMAGE: CHRIS DEARMITT
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