October 13, 2008

Kaolin clay, a substance which enhances the strength and durability of concrete products, is the focus of a new manufacturing plant near Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan.

Whitemud Resources opens plant to produce metakaolin concrete additive

PETER KENTER

correspondent

WOOD MOUNTAIN, SASK.

It’s not exactly a household name, but metakaolin (pronounced “meta-kay-lin”) could be the next big thing in concrete ingredients.

Derived from kaolin clay, the substance can be used to replace Portland cement to create a material that enhances the strength and durability of concrete products, while making it more resistant to chemical attack.

Because the material is light in colour, it also reflects sunlight, reducing heat island effect.

Alberta’s Whitemud Resources has opened a manufacturing plant near Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan, about 245 kilometres southwest of Regina.

At the plant, kaolin ore from the nearby Gollier Creek quarry is placed in a kiln to remove microscopic water molecules.

The result is the metakaolin that can be used as an additive to replace about 20 per cent of the cement in concrete.

“We’re having the material evaluated by a number of ready-mix and pre-cast concrete companies in North America, as well as several states and provinces,” said Murray Yewchuk, vice president of marketing for the company.

Oregon has already approved the use of the product for state highways under its trade name, Whitemud MK, and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure has announced a pilot project for a provincial highway incorporating the material.

Metakaolin has been traditionally by-passed as a concrete additive because it’s considered too expensive.

Used as a white coating for paper products, the material demands a high price.

The company said it’s discovered a way of processing the material to road construction standards that cuts the price.

“We make it more affordable by using a different processing strategy,” said Yewchuk.

“We don’t make it pure white the way it’s used in other industries. At this level of processing it’s available at a slight premium to Portland cement, but provides myriad benefits as a concrete additive.”

The amount of metakaolin available was also an impediment to using it in road surfacing.

The Gollier Creek quarry, however, contains an estimated 160 million tonnes of ore, enough to produce an initial output of about 150,000 tonnes of metakaolin per year.

About 60 per cent of the ore is fine silica sand, a product for which the company also hopes to find a market.

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