Fertilizer Anticaking
Hydrophobic talc prevents agglomeration of NPK fertilizers. Best results are achieved with platy talcs, which give the most efficient anticaking effect under load over time. Talc is used as an anticaking agent in the production of both prilled ammonium nitrate and granular fertilizers. It coats the prills, lowers moisture absorption and prevents the formation of hydrate bridges between the particles. Also markets specially coated talc products using amine and sulfonate agents to enhance adhesion and efficiency in fertilizer applications.

Metal Casting
Mould surfaces with talc coating improve the quality and appearance of cast metal parts. Pure, inert talcs are required.

Bituminous Roofing Sheets and Asphalt Shingles
Talc acts as a lubricant in the productionprocess, and reduces sticking problems in storage. Talc is a functional mineral. With industry requiring ever more sophisticated solutions and customized formulations, Talcs functional versatility into industry-specific performance.

Coatings
Talcs and related minerals are lamellar, chemically inert and hydrophobic. These characteristics make them ideal fillers and extenders for decorative and industrial coatings. In interior and exterior decorative paints, they act as extenders to improve hiding power and titanium dioxide efficiency. Talc s lamellar platelets also make paint easier to apply and improve its cracking resistance, which would otherwise impair the decorative effect and resistance to wear. Talcs are also used in industrial coatings applications from bridges to ocean-going liners. Here, their inert, platy nature improves adhesion and barrier properties.

Paper
Zigma International is the world leader in minerals for pitch control. Our talcs irreversibly adsorb organic materials, preventing agglomeration, regardless of changes in temperature or pH. They also render stickies harmless before they clog up wires, felts or calenders. In recycled papers, talc significantly improves runnability. Talc is an effective coating pigment providing maximum fiber coverage in high quality, coated papers. This enables paper producers to minimize pulp consumption per printed page by reducing the grammage. Talc lowers the friction of the paper surface, improving runnability in many different processes including gravure, offset and label production. Used as a filler, talc s special properties actually add value to the papermaking process in many ways. For example, by creating a water barrier or by improving the retention of organic additives.

Polymers
Used in polypropylene, Talcs impart the right balance of rigidity and impact strength. This requires advanced milling technology to obtain the finest talcs without reducing the reinforcing power of their lamellar structure.very pure grades provide excellent long-term thermal stability and are ideal for use in packaging, including odor-sensitive, foodcontact applications. High brightness, low yellow-index talcs make plastic components easier to color, leading to reduced pigment requirements — a significant advantage for domestic appliance manufacturers. Some of Talcs also greatly reduce shrink, warp and thermal expansion coefficients in molded parts, which is important for producers of large-sized components such as dashboards and bumpers.

Ceramics
In ceramics, Talcs are prized for their consistent chemical composition. Combined with feldspars, they improve the vitrification of tiles and sanitaryware thereby reducing firing cycles. Used in combination with ball clays and kaolins, chlorite-rich talcs improve the thermal shock resistance of certain refractory materials. Our micro-crystalline talcs are widely used in electro-ceramics whereas our very low iron content grades maintain a high whiteness index even at very high firing temperatures, making them particularly suitable for use in frit, engobe and glaze compositions. Using Talcs in low temperature tableware improves glaze/body fit and prevents crazing.

Animal Feed
With its smooth flat lamellae, Talc is a highly effective anti-caking agent in animal feed production. Water-repellent talc envelops the feed particle and forms a natural barrier that limits evaporation and water uptake in the product mass. In this way, our talcs improve throughput and mix homogeneity, and allow an increased use of sticky materials. They also help to keep machinery clean and increase productivity, as well as reducing energy consumption.

Roofing
Coarse-grind grades are used as a process aid to backsurface the hot asphalt in the production of asphalt shingles, asphalt-based felt, and modified asphalt-sheet roofing products. Talc provides lubricity on rolls, prevents water penetration, speeds up drying, and prevents sticking in storage. Finer grades are alsoused as fillers in modified asphalt roofing where they reduce the loss of volatiles, thus providing better weathering properties.

Rubber
Talcs reduce the viscosity of rubber compounds, thereby facilitating the processing of molded parts. They also improve extrudate qualities, increasing production rates and enhancing the UV radiation resistance of exterior parts such as automotive profiles. In sealants and gaskets, Talcs provide good compression resistance, whilst in pharmaceutical stoppers, they create a barrier against liquids. In cable applications, our talcs function as insulators and in tire manufacture, they act as a dusting agent.

Food Products
Talc is an effective antistick coating agent in a number of popular foods, including chewing gum, boiled sweets and cured meats. Talc is also used in the rice polishing process. In olive oil production, it acts as a processing aid, increasing yield and improving the clarity of the oil.

Personal Care
As it is soft to the touch and totally harmless, cosmeticians have used talc for centuries. With the wide, even surfaces of its platelets, highly lamellar talc has always been used as a body powder and is an ideal support for perfumes. Talcs play an important role in many cosmetic products, providing the silkiness of blushes, powder compacts and eye shadows, the transparency of foundations and the sheen of beauty creams. In pharmaceuticals, Talc is an ideal excipient for use as a glidant, lubricant and diluent. Soap manufacturers have used talc for many years as a filler. More recently, Discovered ways of using talc to actually enhance the skin care performance of soap.