Automotive & transportation
We offer a range of innovative mineral solutions for optimized cars, serving the automotive industry and helping manufacturers meet todays’ environmental and technological challenges.
Smart solutions for greener, lighter, leaner vehicles
One of the most critical challenges facing auto manufacturers today is how to reduce the environmental impact of the vehicles they produce. And with autonomous cars entering the market, connected vehicle technology is gathering momentum.
We offer a full range of minerals to serve the automotive industry and help manufacturers meet todays’ environmental and technological challenges.
Wollastonite, kaolin and talc* help produce leaner, lighter, stiffer plastic bumpers and engine covers as well as lighter tires with reduced rolling resistance, contributing to reducing overall vehicle weight and fuel consumption.
Carbon black and synthetic graphite boost the performance of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles as well as advanced lead batteries used for stop and start systems, and carbon black improves conductivity in onboard data systems.
Kaolin and talc are key ingredients in honeycomb ceramic cordierite used in gasoline and diesel exhaust systems. Graphite can replace copper in brake pads. High-absorbent diatomite reduces volatile organic compounds in car interiors. Calcium carbonate increases the durability of sealants and improves the ride through noise reduction. Kaolin is valuable in electro-deposition automotive paints and talc improves corrosion resistance.
We have over 100 years’ of combined mineral expertise at our fingertips and many of our experts come from the markets we serve. Harnessing our extensive portfolio of minerals, our Science & Technology teams match exactly the right mineral to the end requirement then develop the formulation hand-in-hand with our customers.
With wholly owned, world-class mineral reserves across five continents, we can guarantee the availability of high-quality, ethically produced and sourced mineral products around the globe well into the future.
- Lighter vehicles
- Cleaner vehicles
- Smarter vehicles
*Talc products are not available in the USA and Canada. Contact us for an alternative range.
Learn more about our mineral solutions for the automotive industry:
Weight reduction is one of the key drivers for decreasing carbon emissions in cars. This will remain the case in the longer term in order to counterbalance the heavier batteries in electric vehicles and additional new technologies such as sensors and radars. Reinforced polymers will play a significant role in this.
The minerals in our vehicles
Talc, wollastonite, treated kaolin and mica reinforce new and recycled plastics.
Honeycomb ceramic cordierite parts (containing kaolin and talc) are used in catalytic converters and particle filters and diatomite in gearboxes.
Mica is used in metallic paints, sound dampening and in cooling fans and intake manifolds.
Kaolin and talc strengthen tires and improve impermeability.
Graphite and carbon black are used in lithium-ion batteries for their exceptional conductivity.
Diatomite, graphite and zirconia are used in disk brake pads.
Carbon black optimizes plastic or rubber parts such as windshield wipers.
Carbonates are used in sealants for underbody coating and seam sealing to protect against the elements.
Kaolin improves the durability of rubbers used in weatherstripping around the windshield and doors.
Related markets
Abrasives
Whether you are looking to polish, sand, smoothen, grind, or even cut a workpiece, you want to be sure that the material used, its hardness and grain size are right for the job at hand. We are the world leader in fused minerals for abrasives, ready to assist and deliver on all your finishing needs.
China’s electric vehicle (EV) market continues to experience exponential growth, with over half the population projected to drive fully electric or hybrid vehicles by 2025. Inaugurated in October 2023, Imerys’ talc processing plant in Wuhu China is now successfully fueling the Chinese automotive market with the essential mineral solutions it needs to drive its transition towards more sustainable mobility.
Imerys has just announced the selection of two key sites in the Allier region in France for its lithium extraction and transformation project, EMILI. This move is part of an ambitious initiative to strengthen the European battery industry for electric vehicles and contribute to the energy transition.
Conductive carbon blacks are essential for clean and efficient energy solutions such as lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. As demand for these products rises in automotive and other energy transition sectors, Imerys is continuously improving its innovation, research and production efficiency to deliver beneficial product solutions to its customers. This commitment recently led to the inauguration of the cutting-edge Carbon Black Pilot Plant at Imerys Willebroek.
A campaign of laboratory tests has made it possible to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide using granite from the Beauvoir quarry. These encouraging results confirm Imerys’ technological capabilities and the effectiveness of the processes put in place for the EMILI project.
