G R E E N A S W H I T E C A N B E

K A O L I NPAPER, BOARD AND PACKAGING

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A WORLDWIDE

GROUP

IMERYS KAOLIN IS THE WORLD'S LARGESTPRODUCER OF WHITE INDUSTRIALKAOLIN WITH MAJOR OPERATIONS INTHE USA AND BRAZIL. OUR GLOBAL LOGISTICS INFRASTRUCTURE REACHESCUSTOMERS THROUGHOUT THEAMERICAS, ASIA AND EUROPE.

IMERYS KAOLIN supplies minerals to a wide range of industries,including board and fiber packaging, paper, polymers, rubber, paint,and ceramics. Specialists serve each industry, so that our customers always deal with people who understand their business.This is supported by an absolute commitment to quality to ensurethe consistency and reliability of our products and services.

WHAT IS KAOLIN?Kaolin (china clay) is a hydrated aluminium silicate crystalline mineral(kaolinite) formed over many millions of years by the hydrothermal decomposition of granite rocks. Hydrous kaolin is characterized by its fine particle size, plate like or lamellar particleshape and chemical inertness.

Calcined Kaolin is an anhydrous aluminium silicate produced by heating ultrafine natural kaolin to high temperatures in a kiln. The calcination process increases whiteness and hardness and alters thesize and shape of the kaolin particles.

ONE MINERAL MULTIPLE USES

Board and Fiber PackagingImerys Kaolin is the global leader in kaolin and offers the mostcomprehensive range of kaolins for the board and fiber packaging industry. Our portfolio of kaolin products is unique and stands apartfrom other mineral providers as it covers a vast scope of applicationareas across all grades in board and fiber packaging.

Our capabilities for pigment shape and size engineering have allowedus to develop unique blends that effectively combine platy andblocky pigment particles to deliver enhanced coverage when coatingboard. This can translate into cost savings for board producers interms of reduced TiO2 usage, reduced fiber usage, and producinglighter weight grades.

PaperImerys Kaolin is the global leader in kaolin and offers the mostcomprehensive range of kaolins for the paper industry.

Developed on the basis of our profound knowledge of our kaolin reserves and our processes, our products deliver all the properties required by our paper customers. This includes not only brightness,gloss, opacity and printability, but also excellent rheology, which helpto optimize a papermaker’s manufacturing process. Combined withthe great diversity of our products, this allows our teams to delivertailor made solutions to our customers’ formulation needs.

Our kaolin portfolio is shaped by our fundamental understanding ofthe technical and commercial needs of the various paper markets, themulti-pigment approach, the deliberate use of 'best fit' reserves tominimize processing cost and years of efforts to improve energy andother resource efficiencies.

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PRECISION PROCESSING

ENGINEERED FORADDED PERFORMANCEPRODUCTION PROCESSESKaolin production is an intricate process that involves distinctoperations:

MININGIn open pit mining the kaolin is removed by excavators andloaded into trucks. The trucks then deliver it to the blungingsite. We ensure the quality of kaolin mined by using drill holequality data in conjunction with GPS surveying techniques. Aseach deposit is depleted, our environmental team move in andbegin the land reclamation process.

BLUNGINGThe kaolin is then is blunged in a process that mixes kaolin,water and dispersant to create a workable suspension and fullyliberate the clay particles. After blunging, kaolin slurry isprocessed through degritting equipment which removesquartz, sand, mica and other impurities. The degritted slurry isthen pumped via pipelines to the plant for further processing.

PARTICLE ENGINEERINGCentrifuges are used to separate the finer particles from thecoarser particles in the feed to reach a target particle size distribution. The coarse and fine particles with uniqueproperties can be used for a variety of different grades ofkaolin.Centrifuge products are then fed to grinders chargedwith grinding media to delaminate the kaolin into high aspectratio particles. The aspect ratio and particle size are controlledin all of these processes.

BRIGHTNESS ENHANCEMENTTo enhance what nature gave us, we use several processes toincrease product brightness. High intensity magnetic separators remove magnetic materials like anatase and ironcompounds. Bleaching chemicals are added to reduce iron oxides into non-discoloring forms. Other proprietary methodsare also used to enhance brightness.

FILTRATIONAfter all wet processing is completed, kaolin slurry is filteredon rotary vacuum filters that remove water, collecting theproduct on a couch roll at higher solids. Dispersants are addedto remix the filter cake to a slurry that has an acceptableviscosity.

DRYINGFilter products are processed to reach the final shipping formby drying in a spray dryer to a bulk powder or by making ahigh-solids slurry using an evaporator.

CALCINATIONSpecially prepared feeds are dried and fed into high temperature calciners to allow dehydroxylation and formationof aggregated kaolin particles with excellent brightness andopacifying properties. Control of temperature and feed properties allows for customization of the calcined products.

DELIVERYAn efficient global logistics infrastructure is essential to thebusiness. With our network of shipping lines, road, rail andbarge suppliers, we are able to provide a high quality, cost-effective and reliable service to our customers, whereverthey are in the world.

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MOR E I N F O RM A T I ONImerys Kaolin100 Mansell Court East - Suite 300 - Roswell - Georgia - USA | Tel: +1 770 645 3300 | www.imerys-kaolin.com Although the information in this document is believed to be accurate, it is presented without warranty of any kind and Imerys assumes no liability with respect to itsuse. No license to any intellectual property right is granted or implied. Statements or suggestions concerning possible use are made without representation or warranty that any such use is free of patent infringement, and are not to be construed as suggestions or inducements to infringe any patent.

LEADING THE WAY INQUALITY RESERVES ANDENGINEERED MINERALS

TO LEARN HOW OUR KAOLINS CAN BENE FIT YOUR END PRODUCT, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE.

QUALITY ORE RESERVESImerys Kaolin has detailed knowledge of the specific properties of eachmineral and the applications that provide most value. The refining andconversion tools used to purify minerals and adapt them to precise industrial applications are adjusted for optimum functionality for a givenmineral and grade.

PRECISION PROCESSINGAt state-of-the-art plants crude ore is engineered to carefully controlledspecifications such as particle size, specific surface area, colour and pH.The unique nature of our deposits and processes gives precise functionalproperties when selected for specific applications.

QUALITY CONTROL Imerys Kaolin has developed a sophisticated method of analyzing andbenchmarking its minerals based upon standard and customized tests.Our quality management systems are ISO 9001 certified and, throughour individual team activities, we seek to continually improve theireffectiveness to enhance customer satisfaction and to remain the leaderin quality in our industry.

ADDING VALUE THROUGH RESEARCHOur experienced scientists and engineers work closely with our customers’ plant and production managers. We offer problem solvingadvice for increasing productivity or improving product quality utilizingexisting grades, innovative solutions or customized new productdevelopment. Our application development laboratories conduct basicand applied research, product development, process improvement andpilot plant operations.

ENVIRONMENTALImerys Kaolin is committed to being a good neighbour to our environment, and we take this responsibility very seriously. We haveadopted the principles of sustainable development, which includes extensive safety training programs and considerable investment inenvironmental rehabilitation to protect the land for future generations.

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