Mineral Zone appointed agents for LKAB Minerals

LKAB Minerals, an internationally active company in the industrial minerals market, has appointed Mineral Zone, a specialist supply partner servicing the Metallurgical and Mining sectors in South Africa and internationally with a range of metals and minerals, ore and services, as its agent in South Africa for its refractory and foundry mineral products.

“Modern life would be impossible without minerals. They are used in the production of everything from paint to cosmetics, water treatment to sound proofing and concrete to ceramics. LKAB Minerals mine, process and manufacture minerals for every conceivable application,” explains Mineral Zone’s Managing Director Brendan Homann.

“LKAB (Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB) started operations in 1890 and today produces close to 27 million tons of iron ore products and is a growing supplier of minerals, services and high-tech products for mining and other industries.”

“LKAB Minerals is part of LKAB Group, a Swedish state owned company, and is an international high-tech minerals group that mines and upgrades the unique iron ore of northern Sweden for the global market. The group had sales of more than SEK 16 billion in 2016 and employs about 4 200 people in 13 countries. Other group businesses include industrial minerals, drilling systems, rail transport, rockwork services and property management.”

“Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag is a name that is derived from the North Sami name for the two mountains in which the rich iron ore was known about as early as the 1600s. Luossavaara means the Salmon mountain and Kiirunavaara means the mountain of the Snow Grouse. These two snow covered peaks and the black magnetite iron ore below is depicted in the company logo, encircled by the iron symbol.”

“LKAB Minerals was established to develop products and applications outside of the steel industry and to refine production side streams. Through organic growth and acquisitions, the company has grown from a one mineral company to a multi mineral company with over 30 minerals in the portfolio, including Magnetite, Mica and Hydromagnesite Huntite from the company’s own mines. Aside from their own deposits LKAB Minerals source and refine minerals from strategically controlled high quality sources.”

“The company focuses on innovation and development in the areas of civil engineering, construction, polymers, coatings, refractories and foundries where unique product properties and industrial experience allows them to offer high customer value.”

Refractory materials – primary focus
“Our primary focus will be on selling LKAB Minerals’ range of refractory materials. LKAB Minerals offer a range of virgin alumino-silicate and magnesia refractory minerals, as well as a range of recycled alumina and magnesia based aggregates, utilised in monolithic refractory products for a number of applications.”

“The company has over 30 years’ experience in the processing of refractory minerals. In recent years, they’ve advanced and invested to improve the material offering and processing capabilities of the company and now offer a range of services alongside the portfolio of virgin and recycled alumina and magnesia materials.”

“The range includes alumina, magnesia and chrome alumina materials, bauxite, calcined kaolin, fused alumina (brown and white), cement (CA50 – G7, G6, G9), cement CA70, mulcoa, mullite, refractory grade magnesite, DB magnesite and chamotte.”

Foundry products
LKAB Minerals offer a number of products for the foundry industry. The product portfolio ranges from core and mould sands to binders and core additives. In addition LKAB Minerals supplies a range of both naturally occurring sodium and activated calcium bentonite raw materials, and these can be supplied pre-blended with carefully selected and pre-graded coal and lustrous carbon producing materials in order to meet the needs of individual customer requirements.

The company also supplies iron oxides, MinSand, which is a synthetic sand produced from alumina with almost perfectly spherical particle shape, chromite sand, Olivine for use in alkaline resin bonded systems, Zircon sand and flours and Cenospheres.

Other industries
“Besides these products for the foundry industry, with our appointment as agents for LKAB Minerals in South Africa, we also have access to supply product to the construction, polymer, coating and refractory industries. These include product for concrete anchoring and weight coating, heavy media separation, iron catalysts, paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, anti-corrosion coatings, products for the ceramic industry and polymers for automotive parts and decorative flooring.”

“For the last 14 years, LKAB Minerals has been represented in South Africa by Neil Tracey servicing the refractory industry out of their warehouse facilities in Wadeville. We would like to welcome Neil to Mineral Zone where he will continue in this role for us, servicing our customers from the Mineral Zone office and warehouse in Boksburg, thus ensuring a smooth transition with no disruption to our customers.”

“This partnership gives Mineral Zone the opportunity as a specialist supply partner servicing the metallurgical, refractory and mining sectors in South Africa to offer a more comprehensive range of products.”

Mineral Zone also represents SI Group HA South Africa and Capital Refractories Limited. Additionally they are also the South African distributors for the refractory products produced by Norwegian company Elkem

For further details contact Brendan Homann of Mineral Zone on TEL: 010 235 0046 or visit www.mineralzonesa.com