The Greek Industrial Minerals & Rocks Sector

Transcription

1 The Greek Industrial Minerals & Rocks Sector Prof. Michael Stamatakis Madrid, Spain May 23 rd 2018

2 Greek Industrial Minerals & Rocks Ore-Deposits Bentonite Perlite Pumice Pozzolana (glassy tuffs, intercalated diatomite beds) Gypsum [+ anhydrite] (fine-grained, Mesozoic) White limestone/marble [GCC] & dolomite Huntite-hydromagnesite Cement, aggregates, brick, tile raw materials Marble-slate-limestone (building-decorative stone) Magnesite Quartz Kaolin Feldspar the Borates issue

3 Newly discovered ore-deposits Attapulgite-sepiolite: (palygorskite), Grevena County mining & processing operations in early Sales in early 2005 [GeoHellas SA] Zeolite tuffs: (clinoptilolite), Evros County. Early mining operations & sales in early 2000 [S&B], new operations in 2017 [OLYMPUS SA] Olivine: Vourinos Mountain Kozani County. Mining & processing operations in 2004 [THERMOLITH SA] Amphibolite: Nigrita, Serres County. Mining and thermal expansion for producing rock-wool in 2003 [FIBRAN SA] Clayey Diatomite: Elassona Larissa County discovery in early 1990, licenses 2000, quarry faces in 2010 [OLYMPUS SA ]

4 Production [t] Bentonite 2,000,000 Perlite 1,450,000 Calcium carbonate 384,000 Attapulgite-Saponite 45,000 Olivine 25,500 Amphibolite 23,000 Huntite-hydromagnesite 15,600 Zeolite 200 Clayey diatomite -

5 Exports [ ] Bentonite 69,000,000 Perlite 33,300,000 Calcium carbonate 21,760,000 Attapulgite-Saponite 2,400,000 Huntite-hydromagnesite 1,400,000 Olivine 800,000 Amphibolite - Zeolite - Clayey diatomite -

6 Perlite and Bentonite ore deposits occur in the volcanic islands of the Aegean Sea Milos & Kimolos bentonite and perlite Gyali: perlite [+ pumice]

7 Greece hosts important zeolite deposits minor operations in some of them Competitors: Bulgaria Slovakia Italy Romania Hungary Spain

8 The diatomaceous rocks of Greece Two main deposit types: calcareous vast reserves in Samos Island clayey [Mo-type] vast reserves in northcentral Greece

9 The Greek Clayey Diatomite: a multifunctional industrial rock for absorption and insulation A carbonate-free clayey diatomite that has significant reserves and wait better economic status to grow.. the reserves in the north European countries are limited

10 During the implementation of R&D projects on the suitability of the diatomaceous materials of Greece for certain industrial applications, a significant clayey diatomite deposit was located in Thessaly, Central Greece Bulk raw material of the specific deposit was successfully tested as: Industrial absorbent Light weight aggregate (LWA) Light weight insulation bricks The analytical work was performed in laboratory and semi-industrial scale in Greece, Belgium, France and USA

11 Reserves suitable raw material was located in an area of several hundred thousands m 2 close to Elassona town the exploitable reserves are estimated to several million tons that are sufficient for more than 20 years of operations for both absorbent and insulation applications

12 Future plans for the clayey diatomite The specific Greek clayey diatomite deposit, located in Central Greece is the only exploitable in Greece, so far Feasibility studies for an absorbents production plant has been implemented There exist mining licences [ OLYMPUS SA, Dr. Georgiades] for some 100 acres in Lykoudi area, as well as quarry faces and benches A few tons of the diatomaceous clay has been shipped to end-users in Greece and Italy for testing of their efficiency in agricultural & environmental applications

13 Boron: the Late Miocene continental basins of Samos Colemanite with minor ulexite and celestite occur in weathered borate lenses in between paper shales and tuffs West Samos, Karlovassi Basin: zoning of the zeolites and the authigenic boron bearing potassium feldspar

14 R&D of the Greek Industrial Minerals & Rocks Current status Main drawbacks on research & mining activities: Long delays & bureaucratic services, tackling in issuing or extension of mining & environmental licenses Archaeological law & authorities, land owners, NATURA 2000, environmentalists. Strong competition & dumping from third countries producers The solution has to be based on best practices which will convince people/authorities for the necessity and importance, of an environmentally friendly exploitation

15 R&D of the Greek Industrial Minerals & Rocks.. Positive parameters.. SME activated in various places throughout Greece (Construction, functional fillers - domestic market & exports ) Internationally significant Greek mining enterprises New strong players in the mining & processing sector Increase of the Greek presence worldwide [except Oceania] Utilization of mining and processing wastes & by-products (marble wastes, pozzolanic cap-rocks, slags, red mud, perlite fines, fly-ash) New applications and development of R&D projects

16 R&D of the Greek Industrial Minerals & Rocks Other factors that control or influence the mining activities of industrial minerals in Greece: Family companies are merged or make joint ventures with internationally big players [Omya, Sibelco, Imerys, Holcim-Lafarge] Activation of foreign companies in basic research, quarrying, processing and production of final products in Greece (BHP Minerals, US Borax, Rio Tinto, Lafarge, Sud-Chemie, Ytong, Knauf, Saint Gobain, Minelco, Omya, Imerys, Ankerpoort, Sibelco)

17 Conclusions: Greece, hosts important industrial minerals and rocks in substantial reserves with bentonite, perlite and pumice to be the leaders Clayey diatomite is the most significant one that has to be utilized in the international Market Greek zeolites will play, soon, an important role, starting from the domestic market Specialties such as the white bentonite, the snow-white huntite-hydromagnesite and the fine-grained white calcium carbonate have a growing Market in Europe and the Middle East

18 Conclusions.. Survival of most of the Greek SMEs against all odds in a domestic and international scale Important penetration of the Greek mining enterprises in the European & the World Market [new positions for skilled Greek staff abroad] Activation of EU [and Canada] mining companies in Greece with employees [workers, support staff, engineers] mainly derived from the country Successful tests & analysis for the utilization of byproducts & mining wastes [laboratory & industrial scale] Innovation Discovery and further research & development of new raw materials

19 THANK YOU! thank you!