On 3 May, Minerals Technologies Inc (MTI) broke ground on the construction of its new merchant manufacturing facility in Chester, south Carolina to produce Synsil products, a new composite mineral for the glass industry. The new plant will produce around 200,000/tpa of Synsil, which is a family of synthetic silicate minerals for the glass industry that MTI states, "Provide a value-added alternative to the conventional glass manufacturing process". The plant should be operation late 2005. MTI invented Synsil in its research and development labs in Bethlehem, PA. In glass production, Synsil facilitates quicker melting and integration of raw materials, allows higher yields, lowers furnace temperature, reduces energy use, increases throughput and reduces emissions. MTI now has four commercial supply agreements for use of the product.
