Production of ground calcium has increased significantly over the past 10 years and now stands at roughly 50.5 million tonnes per year for all grades, according to a report by London-based Roskill Information Services.
Titled The Economics of Ground Calcium Carbonate, the report points out that ground calcium is used chiefly as a pigment to brighten paper. Its share of the paper pigment market rose to 45% in 2001 from only 9% in 1980, owing to a shift toward an alkaline-based processing system from an acid-based one.
The report says the growth has been especially strong in Asia, where many new paper mills are using wood-free pulp, which requires a high-brightness pigment such as ground calcium.
The plastics industry is the second-largest user of ground calcium, accounting for 8.2 million tonnes per year in 2001. Again, demand is increasingly concentrated in Asia, especially China.
Ten companies control 76% of the world’s ground calcium capacity, the largest by far being Swiss-based Omya, which operates more than 50 plants in nearly 30 countries and accounts for 40% of global capacity. The other leading producers are Paris-based Imerys and U.S.-based Global Stone and Franklin Minerals.
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