Large wollastonite find uncovered at Lac St-Jean

Exploration has uncovered a 100-million-tonne deposit of wollastonite in the Lac St-Jean region of Quebec. According to the Quebec Ministry of Energy and Resources, this figure makes the deposit the largest of its kind in the world.

Wollastonite, a mineral named after the British geologist who discovered it, has been used industrially since 1933. Some specialists believe it will be used increasingly over the next few years and that Quebec could secure a sizable part of this new market.

According to the paper “Profil international du marche de la wollastonite,” written by Denis Hamel, this substance, although not well known in Quebec, is widely used throughout the world. This paper also mentions that world production of wollastonite is currently 336,000 tonnes annually and that its main producers are the U.S., China, India and Finland.

Wollastonite has many applications, depending on product characteristics. Long fibres are used as high-performance reinforcing agents and may serve as a replacement fibre in asbestos production. Short fibres can be used as additives in certain metallurgic processes, in the manufacture of ceramics, in certain types of covering and also as a filler. In its pure state, wollastonite is sought after because of its whiteness.

According to Hamel, wollastonite could benefit from favorable circumstances, such as the booming plastics industry, which increasingly uses wollastonite as a reinforcing agent. In addition, the ceramics industry is also turning more to wollastonite.

Hamel feels that world demand for wollastonite could more than double by the year 2000. Such a development would give the Lac St-Jean area a much needed economic boost during the next few years.