die casting engineer Town built on asbestos may find new life in by-product of deadly mineral

On February, Alan Roy, member of the asbestos city near the asbestos open-air coal mine in Quebec, Canada.9, 2018.On February, Alan Roy, member of the asbestos city near the asbestos open-air coal mine in Quebec, Canada.9, 2018.Asbestos in Quebec did not escape from the past.Its most prominent landmark is a mile wide crater.-Deep enough for the Eiffel Tower-A witness once in the worldThere is an infinite interest in this deadly mineral that has supported the local economy for decades and named the town.Quebec once produced half of the world's asbestos and provided the highest --Pay mining jobs in Canada before worrying about cancer causing a fireThe use of resistant fibers was banned in more than 50 countries, and the mine was finally closed in 2012.But it turns out that the future of asbestos may actually be in asbestos.Or, rather, in the millions of tons of discarded residues that have accumulated during more than a century of mining.The crushed rock, known as the tailings, is rich in magnesium, a mineral that can be converted into light metals for all areas from medical implants to Tesla electric vehicles.These prospects attract companies eager to invest, including Quebec-Headquartered in Alliance magnesium, the company has been operating a pilot plant and raising funds to expand production.If the alliance's plan is successful, it may eventually add 350 jobs and strengthen the economic recovery, which begins to dominate with government loans and readinessfor-The use of industrial plots to attract various companies to the former-A vibrant mining town"We have to keep the recession under control for a long time," said Alan Roy ." He has been a member of the asbestos town since 2005."Now we have to manage economic growth."The key to the growth strategy is to keep magnesium production costs low enough to compete with dominant Chinese companies.Since many competitors priced in the 2000 s, 5 billion of the marketIncluding two in Quebec."The market has changed a lot;Joel funnier, a scientist who started alliance magnesium, said in an interview at the factory: "Technology has improved ."."Many users are waiting for a stable supply from producers like ours.They worry about the geopolitical risks of making China a quasi-big country.sole supplier.As automakers rush to cut car weight to fit their carbon emissions, demand for magnesium will grow, the third one lighter than aluminumEmission standards.At Minneapolis-Headquartered in Shuangcheng Die Casting CompanyTodd Olsen, chief financial officer, said the magnesium business has doubled over the past four years, producing auto parts for medical devices.The U.S.The market is particularly attractive to the alliance, which may bypass tariffs on Chinese magnesium, which is 60% more expensive than Europe.The company is currently in talks with metal traders to sell some of its products produced in the future.Currently, the company produces only a few ingots per day, compared to the 50,000 metric tons it promised to produce by 2022 --about 4.5% per cent of global primary production in 2017.Chief executive Fournier is in talks to raise $78 million ($100 million) to start building a medium-sized plant this year and wants to go public to fund larger plants.On a recent Friday morning, a smell of chlorine drifted over the test site, a sign of the electrolytic process used to produce magnesium.Acid helps to extract minerals and separate them from silica.The resulting salt water is filtered and dried into salt, heated and submitted to a powerful current, producing metals on one side and chlorine gas on the other.The hydro-based technology is more eco-friendly than the old coal.Shooting methods used in China.But it still uses a lot of energy due to acid and requires additional maintenanceRelated corrosion.Detroit's Jerry Cole says controlling manufacturing costs is key to successConsultant to set up Ford Motor CompanyMagnesium strategy in the 1990 s."They have to know every penny and how every fluctuation in the cost of the project will affect the price of the finished product," he said ."."What you're facing is the automotive industry --If the price was too high for 5 cents, they wouldn't have done so.Fornier says things have changed since China's low prices forced Norwegian hydro and Noranda.Close stores in FranceA province more than ten years ago.While labor costs are rising in China, the power glut has also driven a decline in electricity prices.According to Mayor Hugues Grimard, there are three other projects centered on 0.4 billion tons of mine residue around asbestos, and he wants to turn his town into a "technical plant for magnesium ".Including one in Britain.Mag One products based in ColombiaRun your own production tests in a new governmentThe Mining Innovation Center supported.This time, asbestos is also paying attention to diversifying its economy.Its ever-expanding industrial park is a duck slaughterhouse, a marijuanaInsulation and semi-insulationTrailer manufacturers using 50 million Canadian dollars from the provincial government.There's even the first Tim Hortons in town.Signature Canadian coffeeand-doughnut chain.In the former Church of the current city hall, officials have to make unfamiliar decisions: where to invest."We need to provide space for people to move here;We need new services, "said Roy, a town consultant.However, Roy said that among the 6,800 residents who have experienced decades of asbestos decline, some people's economic boom has not subsided.The population peaked at 11,000, close to 1960.When fiber is used to build everything from residential to sidewalk, says Jessica Van Hosen, a lecturer at the University of Beckett in Leeds, USA.K.He wrote a book about the history of the town."This is an ongoing job.You don't have to go too far and your son can work as well;Your daughter will have a job."You don't have to worry about anything," she said in a telephone interview .".This helps explain lasting attachment to an industry that is banned from endangering public health.Some companies complain that the town's name is bad for business, but discussions about changing it over the past decade have soon been abandoned.Yan St-said: "If it weren't for the mine, asbestos town might not exist today ."Hilaire.In 2014, he opened a bar with a childhood friend filled with my belongings.On the Maolin 7, customers can taste beer brewed on site called "miners", "platinum" or 1949-Refers to the famous strike.Bought tables, chairs, lockers from the mine, and even issued an alarm that was about to explode."It brought extra pride to us to share our history," he said, as the bar was packed with customers of all ages."Remember the past and don't forget where we came from.