On Nov. 19th, the National Paint & Coatings Industrial Information Center and Celite Corporation held a small technical seminar in Changzhou Paint & Coatings Chemical Industry Research Institute, and invited technical members from circumjacent areas to discuss the application of infusorial earth in coatings. After the seminar, the journalist of the National Paint & Coatings Industrial Information interviewed the technical service manager David Bauer of the USA World Minerals and the market development manager Chen Jianxin of Celite Infusorial Earth (China) Co., Ltd. They introduced the usage of infusorial earth products in coatings additives and their operation in China:

Infusorial earth is formed by the aggradations of single cell hydrophyte diatom remains. This diatom can absorb the free silicon in the water to form it anatomy and deposit after its death, forming infusorial earth bed under definite geological conditions. It has some unique performances, such as porosity, low density, big surface area, comparative incompressibility and chemical stability. After milling, classifying, calcining, air classing and decontaminating the original earth to change its particle distribution and surface characters, it can be used in filter aids, coating additives and so on.

The USA World Mineral Corporation was founded in 1893, having a history of 109 years. At present, it has 24 product establishments and more than 2000 employees in the world. Celite Infusorial Earth Corporation is an important member and has had 70 years in coatings industry. Originally it mainly provided additives for military camouflage paint, and now it provided ten thousand tons Celite infusorial earth coatings additives products annually for coatings factories all around the world.

Celite infusorial earth coatings additives product has the characters of big air voids, strong absorbency, chemical stability, abrasion resistance and hot resistance. It can offer excellent surface performance for coatings, reduce the surface gloss of coat and strengthen the abrasion resistance and scratch resistance. Its big porosity can also reduce the dosage of resin and even the cost. It is known as a high performance-price ratio delustreing powder for high effect coatings, and has become appointed product by many international large scale coating producers, using widely in many coating systems like emulsion paint, alkyd and polyester paint, especially in producing architectural coatings.

Celite Corporation now has offices in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, and has two joint venture enterprises in Jilin province, which mainly produces infusorial earth filter aid. The present infusorial earth products used in coatings industry sold in China mainly come from 4 factories in American and Mexico. Infusorial earth produced in these areas is shapeless, which provides many advantages, such as getting needed sub-light and dead luster during dispersion, and conducing to improve durability and scrab resistance; its porosity can discharge the air to prevent blistering and breaking off efficiently, and also shorten the dry time of coatings.
Coatings have marvelous prospect in China, in which Celite Corporation is confident. The trading company set up in Shanghai Waigao Bridge will operate from 2003 and emphasizes in developing the application of infusorial earth used in Chinese coating and used as other functional filler. At the same time, the corporation will also strengthen the training of technical service personnel to settle the customers’ problems any time and everywhere.