Global Habitat Resources has purchased a 98% stake in Mexico’s MX Pozzolan S.A. de C.V. The Mexican firm owns a 30 million t/30 year concession of perlite, located some 40 miles east of Acapulco in Mexico.
Global Habitat Resources plans to commence the promotion and exploitation of the mine from 3Q14. Raw perlite and processed materials will be sold internationally. The mined perlite will be transported via ship from the Port of Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacán, around 180 miles northwest of the site. The port is linked to the Lazaro Cardenas-Kansas City Corridor, a trade routing connecting Kansas City, USA, to markets in the Asia-Pacific region via a ships-to-rail terminal.
Among its uses in agricultural and industrial sectors, perlite can be used as a cement additive.
According to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2014 report, the estimated value of mineral production in the US reached US$74.3 billion in 2013, down from US$75.8 billion in 2012.