Indian consortium makes cash offer to revive rare Canadian asbestos mine

at 18:22 on October 12, 2010, EDT

The Canadian Press
http://www.am770chqr.com/News/National/Article.aspx?id=238918

MONTREAL - An Indian consortium has made an offer to buy one of Canada's last remaining http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos asbestos mines and extend its life.
The group made a bid last Thursday to purchase the cash-strapped Jeffrey Mine in the Quebec town of Asbestos.
Jeffrey president Bernard Coulombe confirmed Tuesday that he received a pitch, but would not say how much the consortium has put on the table.
"We're looking at (the offer) very seriously and we have one week to respond," Coulombe said in an interview.
"The offer is serious because it was officially presented with a guaranteed deposit."
The 131-year-old Jeffrey mine is one of only two sites in Canada that still extracts the controversial substance, blamed for causing serious health issues, including cancer.
The World Health Organization says asbestos-related diseases cause 90,000 deaths annually around the world.
The Canadian asbestos industry has been heavily criticized for exporting the mineral to developing countries where few, if any, safety measures to limit exposure are followed.
India is one of Canada's biggest asbestos customers.
But supporters of the industry, and its Quebec variety known as chrysotile, argue that it's safe to use as long as it's handled properly.
Coulombe said the deal would give Jeffrey the necessary funds to complete a new underground section of the mine, extending its life for another 25 years.
Breathing new life into the mine would also create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs in the area.
The news is promising for the local mine workers' union, which has also received a copy of the offer.
"I'm optimistic," said union president Normand St-Hilaire, who represents between 600 to 800 workers.
St-Hilaire said the union will meet this Sunday, when details of the proposal will be presented to its members.
But even if the offer is accepted, there are no guarantees it would revive Jeffrey, which is currently under bankruptcy protection.
The Quebec government has yet to decide whether to guarantee a critical $58-million bank loan the company says it needs to restart operations.
Still, the deal would meet one of several conditions the province wants Jeffrey to meet in exchange for its support to secure the financing.
Economic Development Minister Clement Gignac said the mine must find new partners to invest $15 million, which is the balance of the $73-million total needed to reopen the project.
The government also said the mine's customers must agree to adhere to Quebec standards on the safe handling of asbestos.
Gignac also wants an independent firm to ensure the company will be profitable before he backs the loan.
Coulombe's announcement Tuesday comes after he accused Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff of scaring off a would-be investor from China.
He said last summer that he had the investor lined up and willing to inject $40 million, but it backed off after Ignatieff commented on the industry.
Ignatieff has called for a ban on exports of the material. His office immediately expressed skepticism over Coulombe's claim that the Liberal leader's remarks might have torpedoed the deal.
The Conservative government has repeatedly voiced its support for the industry.
In recent months, Canada's asbestos sector has also become the target of a growing international campaign.
Health professionals and anti-asbestos activists from around the world have spoken out against Canadian exports.

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Process and Mechanisme to get Green Sheet on the Hatschek Machine

http://www.johnstondandy.com/cylindermoulds.html
The success of fibre cement by the Hatschek process :( From paper mill Cylinder Mould Type )

• Formation in thin paper like films that are placed one on the other until the desired sheet
thickness is reached.
• Formation of the sheet by this means distributes the reinforcing fibres in two dimensions
taking best advantage of the reinforcing fibres to increase the in-plane strength of the
sheet.
• Thus the strength of sheets made in this fashion is approximately 50% greater than
sheets formed to full thickness in one action in the filter press process.

Sheet formation on the Hatschek Machine occurs in 4 stages
1. Initial formation of a filter layer on the surface of the sieve
2. Building of a very watery layer of fibre cement over the filter layer as the sieve rotates
in contact with the slurry in the vat
3. Low intensity dewatering of the wet film as it transfers to the felt and
4. High intensity dewatering of the film as it passes through the nip of the accumulator
roller.

Introduction The Hatschek machine :( Modification and using cylinder mould machine (frangky ) ) http://www.johnstondandy.com/cylindermoulds.html
1. First developed for the production of asbestos cement in the 1890’s when it was patented by
the inventor, Ludwig Hatschek.
2. The machine is still used in the same basic form today and although modern Hatschek
machines are much more productive than the early models

Mechanism to build green sheet on the Hatschek machine as follows
1. Clean sieve is pulled under the slurry in the vat, water from the slurry runs through the
sieve depositing a soft porous film of fibre and cement on the surface of the sieve.
2. The sieve carrying the film exiting the vat is brought into contact with the felt stretched
tightly across the sieve. This removes much of the water from the film by forcing it back
through the film. The solid film floats on this layer of water and is transferred to the felt
partly in response to the effect of removal of water and partly because the felt has a greater
affinity for the film than the sieve.
3. The film is carried on the felt to an accumulator roll to which it is transferred by further
removal of water at high pressure.
4. A sufficient number of films are wrapped on the accumulator roll to form a sheet of the
desired thickness, the stack of films is then removed from the roller and laid out flat to form
the sheet. The action of dewatering successive films in contact with each other under
pressure is sufficient to bind the films together to form a contiguous solid sheet.


Detailed Mechanism of Film Formation
Formation of the film takes place as follows
1. A filter layer of fibres forms on the surface of the sieve within a short distance the
immersion of the sieve into the water.
2. The film continues to build up on the sieve but now contains a lower proportion of fibres
and a greater proportion of the non-fibrous materials.
3. The film is dewatered and stripped from the sieve on to the felt driving the sieve.


The position of formation of the filter layer Two possibilities exist,
1. The fibre orientation screw runs counter to the sieve direction and throws the slurry onto
the sieve above the immersion point. In this case most of the formation of the filter layer
occurs before the sieve enters the slurry.
2. The fibres orientation screw runs in the same direction as the sieve that may be fitted with
a rubber flap extending 50 mm or so beneath the surface of the slurry. In this case the
formation of the filter layer takes place just below the rubber flap.

Raw material in to process
The feed to a Hatschek machine is
1. Fibres
2. Portland Cement
3. Ground minerals
4. Water.

Formation of the Filter Layer
Formation :
Typical sieve apertures are around 0.4mm (400 um) and clearly the non-fibrous material is significantly smaller than the sieve apertures and so would wash through the sieve.
Fibres on the other hand are able to bridge the wires of the sieve although any fibre presenting perpendicular to the sieve surface could also pass lengthwise through it.
Entrapment of the non-fibrous materials therefore depends on the formation of a filter layer of fibres on the surface of the sieve.

Global Suppliers of Alternative Products – Non-Asbestos

Some information related to Non Asbestos Products

Everite Group, South Africa – fiber-cement flat sheet and roofing. http://www.everite.co.za/
Etex Group, Belgium – fiber-cement roofing, boards, siding; affiliates worldwide. http://www.etexgroup.com/

Parry Associates, UK – microconcrete roofing; design and engineering firm that has worked with local and international clients in 80 countries. http://www.parryassociates.com/

Worldroof, Belgium – recycled polypropylene and high-density polyethylene and crushed stone. http://www.belgiantechnologies.com/content/index.php?lang=4∂=2&cat=2⊂=&product=568

Kuraray, Japan – manufacturer of PVA fiber used to make fiber-cement by companies in countries including Ukraine, Nigeria, Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. http://www.kuraray.co.jp/en/products/vinylon.html

Unitika, Japan – manufacturer of PVA fiber used in fiber-cement. http://www.unitika.co.jp/e/home.htm

Weyerhaeuser, US – wood products company developing fiber-cement markets using wood pulp. Contact: Brian Wester brian.wester@weyerhaeuser.com ,

Fiber Cement Forum, Norway – expanding markets for use of waste materials silica fume, flyash, and rice husk ash in fiber-cement products. Contact: Henning Thygesen henning.thygesen@elchem.no

Saint-Gobain, France – developing fiber-cement products using polypropylene and cellulose for use in Brazil, India, etc. Contact in Brazil: João Carlos Duarte Paes abifibro@terra.com.br

BRAZIL

http://www.engeplas.com.br/ – Engeplas + Ecotop – recycling dental tubes plastics +aluminum
http://www.onduline.com.br/ vegetable fiber + asphalt/betume
http://www.tecolit.com.br/ (fibers + asphalt)
http://www.viralata.org.br/ (recycling paper + asphalt)...this is a cooperative of poor people ...social inclusion program
ibicunha@brturbo.com (long life packs - milk box recycling) http://www.rbrepresentacoes.com/produto_lista.asp ceramic tiles

MALAYSIA

UAC Berhad http://www.uac.com.my/ Siding, interior boards, ceiling panels.Hume Cemboard http://www.humecemboard.com.my/ Siding, interior boards, ceiling panels.


TAIWAN: (ceiling and interior boards, siding)

Taisyou International Business Col, Ltd. http://www.taisyou.com.tw/e/e-index.htm
L.H. Fortune Co., Ltd.Wellpool Co., Ltd. http://www.wellpool.com.tw/cg/ch/


KOREA

Byucksan http://www.byucksan.com/byucksan_e/intro.htm
Kumgang Korea Chemical Co., Ltd. http://www.kccworld.co.kr/korea/


INDONESIA

Nusantara Building Industries http://www.nbi.co.id/
Eternit Gresik http://eternitgersik.com/

AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND

James Hardie http://www.jameshardie.com/index.htm
CSR Fibre Cement http://www.csr.com.au/Corporate/default.asp


others

James Hardie http://www.jameshardie.com/index.htm
Aptech Manufacturing Corp., Angeles and Pampanga, plantation wood/rattan wastes Fabricemtech, Lucena and Quezon, plantation wood and bagasse
GC Enterprises, Zamboanga, yemane and palo verde
San Nicolas Multipurpose Coop., Candon and Ilocos Sur, giant ipil-ipil and tobacco stalks
R-II Builders, National Capital Region, plantation wood
Cemboard Systems Inc., Lipa and Batangas, yemane
Phela Resources, Genaral Samtos City, yemane
Boalan Agri-Resources, Zamboanga del Sur, yemane and palo verdeCruzayco Corp., Kambankalan, Negros Occ., yemane
Cagayan Wood Works Manufacturing Corp.,
Solana and Cagayan, yemane
Caraga Women's Cooperative, Butuan City, yemane and rattan wasteEarn Corporation, Bay and Laguna, yemaneVillarica Forest Products, Samal Island and Daval, yemaneZementboard Cooperative, Korondal and South Cotabato, yemaneVersaboard Enterprises, Angeles and Pampanga, bagasseAlenter Cane Corp., Cebu, rattan wastesLemon Products Int'l./Victorians Marketing, Imus and Cavite, rattan wastes

Reference: The Wood Wool Cement Board Industry in the Philippines: http://sres.anu.edu.au/associated/fpt/nwfp/woodwool/woodwoolphil.html#anchor5666869

Substitutes for Asbestos-Cement Construction Products

by Barry Castleman

Substitutes for these asbestos products are not limited to products that simply replace asbestos with another material (e.g., PVA ,and cellulose in fiber-cement roofing sheet). There are also a number of wholly different products that can replace the asbestos products. A number of substitutes for asbestos-cement products are included in the following table.

Asbestos Product
Substitute Products
Asbestos-Cement Corrugated Roofing
Fiber-cement roofing using: synthetic fibers (polyvinyl alcohol, polypropylene)
and vegetable/cellulose fibers (softwood kraft pulp, bamboo, sisal, coir, rattan
shavings and tobacco stalks, etc.); with optional silica fume, flyash, or rice husk
ash Microconcrete (Parry) tilesGalvanized metal sheetsClay tilesVegetable fibers
in asphaltSlateCoated metal tiles (Harveytile)Aluminum roof tiles (Dekra Tile)
Extruded uPVC roofing sheetsRecycled polypropylene and high-density
polyethylene and crushed stone (Worldroof)Plastic coated aluminumPlastic
coated galvanized steel.

Asbestos-Cement Flat Sheet (ceilings, facades, partitions)
Fiber-cement using vegetable/cellulose fibers (see above), wastepaper, optionally
synthetic fibersGypsum ceiling boards (BHP Gypsum)Polystyrene ceilings,
cornices, and partitionsFaçade applications in polystyrene structural walls (coated
with plaster) Aluminum cladding (Alucabond) BrickGalvanized frame with plaster
-board or calcium silicate board facingSoftwood frame with plasterboard or
calcium silicate board facing.

Asbestos-Cement Pipe
High Pressure:Cast iron and ductile iron pipeHigh-density polyethylene
pipePolyvinyl chloride pipeSteel-reinforced concrete pipe (large sizes)Glass
-reinforced polyester pipe Low Pressure:Cellulose-cement pipeCellulose/PVA
fiber-cement pipeClay pipeGlass-reinforced polyester pipeSteel-reinforced
concrete pipe (large diameter drainage)

Asbestos-Cement Water Storage Tanks
Cellulose-cementPolyethyleneFiberglassSteelGalvanized ironPVA-cellulose fiber-
cement, Asbestos-Cement Rainwater Gutters; Open Drains (Mining Industry)
Galvanized ironAluminumHand-molded cellulose-cementPVC

Asbestos mine gets $3.5M from Que. government

Canadian Cancer Society calls decision 'deplorable'

Last Updated: Monday, August 30, 2010 7:41 PM ET
CBC News

The Jeffrey mine in Asbestos, Que. has been lobbying the provincial government for a $58 million loan. (CBC)
The Quebec government will guarantee a $3.5-million line of credit for one of the country's last asbestos mines.
The money will allow the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Que., to reopen and resume exports of asbestos — also called chrysotile — for the next month.
During that time Bernard Coulombe, the owner and president of Jeffrey Mine, hopes to attract private investors in order to secure a $58-million loan from the provincial government.
The mine's supporters say the $58 million will create 400 direct and 1,000 indirect jobs, and allow the mine to remain open for another 25 years.
Coulombe said the production and use of chrysotile are safe, and the mine needs to meet an international demand for the mineral.
"If we operate now, we have a better chance to be able to attract partners," Coulombe said.
The Canadian Cancer Society, as well as doctors across Quebec and Canada, have lobbied the Quebec government to not support the production of asbestos by lending money to the mine.
"It accounts for about 90,000 deaths each year," said André Beaulieu, spokesperson for Quebec's branch of the Canadian Cancer Society.
"The government ... should provide a transition support to affected communities and find new economies and new businesses locally," Beaulieu said.
Beaulieu is also calling for a global ban on the production of asbestos in all its forms.
More than 50 countries have banned the production and use of asbestos in all its forms, but Canada continues to permit the mining of chrysotile fibres, mainly for export.
The Jeffrey Mine has until the end of December to pay back the loan.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/08/30/jeffrey-mine-qc-line-of-credit.html#ixzz0z8VAYHiy