adminWICKBURY Investments says it has invested over US$1 million in extraction and beneficiation of vermiculite, a multi-purpose mineral with uses in agriculture construction.
Vermiculite is a group of minerals characterised by their ability to expand into long, worm-like strands when heated.
The largest vermiculite mining operations in the world are in South Africa, the United States, China, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Zimbabwe and Australia.
In its expanded form, vermiculite has a very low density and thermal conductivity, which makes it attractive for use as a soil amendment, lightweight construction aggregate, water purification, sewage treatment and thermal insulation filler.
Expanded vermiculite also has a very large chemically active surface area, which makes it useful as an absorbent in some chemical processes, and when it is ground into a fine powder, vermiculite is used as a filler in inks, paints, plastics, and other materials.
Wickbury Investments executive director Mr Simbarashe Chimbodza told The Sunday Mail Business they invested “over US$1 million” in mining and beneficiating vermiculite.
“Our wish is that vermiculite must be on every farmer’s input list. Right now farmers are complaining of leaching because of too much rains but vermiculite arrests leaching to allow for the slow release of fertiliser into the soil.
“It also improves seed germination, soil aeration and helps the soil retain moisture up to seven times and you can imagine how much the soils in Matabeleland, Masvingo and parts of Midlands provinces which receive minimal rains can benefit from vermiculite,” said Mr Chimbodza.
Initially, the company was only mining the product with a view to exporting raw materials but failed to break into “a cartel-like export market”.
This prompted it to buy beneficiation plant and equipment from Israel.
The vermiculite is mined in Buhera and beneficiated in Harare.
The company started beneficiating in 2012 and has been subjecting the product to rigorous performance tests since then.
Mr Chimbodza said Wickbury had engaged top local fertiliser manufacturers and the University of Zimbabwe to conduct further trials on other uses of the mineral.
“We have engaged with some local institutions including the University of Zimbabwe’s faculty of agriculture so that they interrogate this product and the results have been phenomenal.
“We have collaborated with fertiliser companies because one of the things you can do with vermiculite is to blend it with fertiliser. In addition to its moisture retention capacity, the improved aeration and improved germination, it also blends with fertiliser.
“So we have also run tests with some of the biggest fertiliser companies in the country and the results were phenomenal, and when I say results I mean in terms of yield per hectare.”
Mr Chimbodza said they were registering their product with the Ministry of Agriculture.
“The plan is to launch the product at the end of the first quarter. We have branded, packaged and have been selling to mostly people in the horticulture industry.
“We are now in the process of getting registration from the Ministry of Agriculture because you can’t just get such products and put them in the soils before being permitted by authorities.
“Once we have done that, we will improve our packaging and would like to see the product in all hardwares around the country at affordable prices. It is unfortunate that we could not release the product in time for the 2014/15 cropping season.”
In construction, vermiculite can be used in lightweight tiles, and ceiling and insulation boards because of its heat resistant properties. It also has acoustic properties that can be used for sound-proofing rooms.
The company has supplied a consignment of the beneficiated material to Zambia through the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe.
“It is versatile and I call it a wonder mineral. We are in the process of trying to get the right recipes of tiles and ceiling boards because they come with certain standards.
“There are people who sell patents for these recipes and we currently have one (recipe) we got from India and we are considering buying it,” said Mr Chimbodza.
Buildings constructed using vermiculite are strong and have low risks of fire because the product can used for fireproofing.
Wickbury Investments was acquired in 2011 from its previous foreign owners when the country took the indigenisation route.
Ownership and operations of the company are done by locals; with the mine workers getting 10 percent equity when the new owners took over.
Online Reporter