Luzenac 20-pages - Rio Tinto

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talc the mineral 14 Luzenac Talc, the mineral that contributes to sustainable development At Luzenac, sustainable development also means developing new, environmentally safe and friendly products for a sustainable society. Indeed, in many of its applications—be it paper, paint, plastics, ceramics, etc.—talc not only brings value to our customers, it enhances their own environmental and sustainable development activities. Dashboard and interior parts The use of talc in polypropylene for interior components such as dashboards, pillar trim and consoles increases dimensional stability and stiffness enabling downgauging Catalytic converters Honeycomb talc-based cordierite structures are a critical component in today’s catalytic converters and particle filters Bumpers Very fine talcs provide polypropylene bumpers with the right balance of rigidity and impact strength, allowing them to be made thinner and lighter Tyres Talc powdering accelerates tyre demoulding cycles, thus reducing energy costs Door sealants Incorporating talc into door sealants improves weathering and extends product life Take the average car. Talc is an important ingredient in a number of automotive components where it brings environmental benefits. For instance, talc imparts stiffness and other crucial properties to polypropylene, which has replaced less environmentally friendly plastics such as PVC and ABS in a broad array of car parts. Polypropylene is easily recyclable and its use enables car manufacturers to down-gauge parts, contributing to making cars generally lighter and lowering fuel consumption. Talc is also one of the principal components of ceramic cordierite, which is used as a support in today’s catalytic converters and diesel particle filters for automotive exhaust systems. For more examples of how talc contributes to the environment in other applications, consult our 2002 SD report on www.luzenac.com Under the bonnet / hood components Tough, lightweight polypropylene parts containing up to 40% of talc have replaced many of the metal components in car engines, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning units Bodywork Talc improves the rigidity of polypropylene making it a viable replacement for metal in bodywork parts. Using plastics for bodywork: • reduces overall vehicle weight hence fuel consumption • eliminates the use of paint with its associated volatile organic compounds • provides greater design freedom • improves recyclability • enhances safety features
wastewater treatment New solutions for biological wastewater treatment plants One of the principal problems facing biological wastewater treatment plant operators is how to deal with the huge volumes of wet sludge left at the end of the settling process. At the Pollutec Exhibition held in Paris in December 2003, Luzenac presented a new application for its Aquatal® range aimed to optimise the sludge dewatering process. Aquatal® is a natural, environmentally friendly blend of talc and chlorite with a specific mineral composition and particle size distribution. It is a structuring agent, which improves water/sludge separation efficiency. Aquatal® speeds up the separation of the solid and liquid phases during crop protection Talc protects growing fruit… naturally There is nothing quite like biting into a sweet, juicy Granny Smith apple on a hot summer day, or baking them into a homemade, deep-dish apple pie. However, in order to get this highly popular fruit to market, it first has to survive the rigours of maturing in the orchard—and dealing with the harsh, burning UV-rays of the sun. Yes, just like people, fruit can get sunburn. In fact, if left unattended, sunburn and heat stress can damage up to 45% of a typical crop. To combat this problem, Luzenac has begun development of a new draining and facilitates water extraction during pressing. It also improves flocculation, preventing seepage, mesh clogging and sticking of sludge cakes. A low dosage of Aquatal® before the dewatering process enables wastewater treatment plant operators to reduce volume and mass of wet sludge, accelerate machine throughput and optimise sludge preparation. Aquatal® is already used in over 150 municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants in Europe to improve sludge settleability in the case of bulking and hydraulic or organic overload. With the development of this new application, Aquatal® now provides wastewater treatment plant operators with an all-round natural solution. talc-based crop protectant product, Invelop® SPF. Initial trials conducted in 2003 evaluated sunburn protection for apples. The data showed that when Invelop® SPF was sprayed onto Granny Smith apples it reduced the surface temperature and lowered the incidence of sunburn by up to 60%. Invelop® SPF is a natural solution to a natural problem, replacing the use of synthetic chemicals and continuous cooling water sprays. EPA registration and approvals for use in organic farming are expected for Invelop® SPF. Further trials on grapes, pears, and plums will be conducted in 2004. sustainable construction materials Talc for sustainable construction materials One of our major innovations in 2003 was an engineered talc product for the wood-plastic composite market. Wood-plastic composites are a mixture of plastic, wood flour, sawdust or other natural fibres and, in some cases, minerals. These components are melt blended in extruders or other processing devices to form a variety of extruded profiles, thermoformed and compression moulded parts used to construct patio decking, window frames, doors, railings, roofing, patio furniture, fencing, docks and garden structures. Wood-plastic composites present a range of advantages from a sustainable development point of view: • They provide an outlet for scrap plastic, recycled plastics, waste wood and side products from the wood processing industry; • They provide a viable alternative to impregnated wood, which may contain toxic substances, as well as valued hardwoods; talc for the world 15 • They are easy to recycle and can be ultimately burnt for the production of heat; • They are highly durable and have low-maintenance requirements; • They eliminate paint, thus reducing VOC emissions; • They have extended functional service life and enhanced weatherability. For the time being, these composites are primarily used for non-structural applications. However, research performed by Luzenac America and Washington State University has shown that incorporating talc into woodplastic composites considerably enhances their performance in terms of stiffness, dimensional stability and water resistance, making talc-reinforced wood-plastic composites suitable for use in structural applications such as decking supports, piers and home construction. Talc-reinforced plastic composites may well become a major material for the construction market in years to come. talc the mineral
Page 1 and 2: Meeting Today’s Needs. Securing T
Page 3 and 4: Welcome… Welcome to Luzenac’s s
Page 5 and 6: Building quality relationships with
Page 7 and 8: Implementing fair and safe employee
Page 9 and 10: Luzenac tests Crisis Management pla
Page 11 and 12: On the 2003 communities agenda In 2
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Page 17 and 18: Fostering supplier and joint ventur
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Luzenac 20-pages - Rio Tinto

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