Omya in Vermont

Tailings Definitions

• Calcium carbonate – (CaCO3) is an inert mineral used in a wide variety of products – from chewing gum, toothpaste, antacids and cereals to paints, paper, plastics, and floor coverings.
• Impurities – impurities in the ore consist of naturally occurring minerals and include chlorite, plagioclase, feldspar, quartz, and mica.
• Slurry - a mixture of solids (in this case, calcium carbonate ore) and water.
• Anti-microbial compounds – compounds added to the finished slurry product at time of shipment to customers to prevent bacteria growth (that otherwise would occur in a mineral rich, damp, and warm environment) during transportation off-site. All of such compounds are managed and employed by Omya in strict accordance with local, state, and federal laws.
• Tailings Management Area (TMA) – the on-site depleted quarry areas where Omya deposits and manages its tailings product.
• TOHI (Tall Oil Hydroxyethyl Imidazoline) flotation reagent – a compound used to separate pure calcium carbonate from the other minerals in the ore. TOHI is insoluble in water and remains bound to the mineral impurities.