Emgold Mining Corp.'s Golden Bear Ceramics Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Emgold, has commenced the pilot-scale manufacturing of stone tile as part of its continuing commercialization of the Ceramext technology. Since early 2004, Golden Bear has been advancing the proprietary Ceramext technology, which converts mine tailings, mine development rock, coal fly ash and other mineral waste materials into high-quality stone products that can take the form of floor, wall and roof tiles, bricks, pavers, and other high-strength architectural members. Golden Bear has the exclusive, worldwide rights to the Ceramext technology and has initiated the green product certification process for tile and other products that can be produced by the Ceramext technology. The certification will allow building owners to obtain leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) points toward U.S. Green Building Council certification of their project.
The company has applied for and will continue to file for additional patents that control the manufacturing process and the materials. Ceramext technology is an innovative technology with global impact that could revolutionize the production of many traditional ceramic and stone products, increasing the material strength and reducing the cost of manufacture of quality stone building materials. Golden Bear is producing 10-inch-by-10-inch stone tile 24 hours per day on a pilot line at the company's research and development centre, located in Grass Valley, Calif. The tiles are made entirely from quarry fines, an industrial waste byproduct generated from a large total quarry. Historically, quarry fines have been placed in a landfill as waste material. By using only waste material as feedstock, the tile produced can be considered a 100-per-cent green product. The sample tiles will be used for further product testing and development, test installations, and for continuing market research and development. Sample tiles are being produced for a demonstration installation in California. Although the tile has the appearance of polished stone, it has superior properties. Mechanical strength and abrasion resistance are comparable with or higher than the best-quality commercial porcelain tile, and water absorption is below 0.3 per cent. The manufacturing process allows superior control of facial dimensions without the need for grinding to size. Dimensional control is superior to the best industry performance for ceramic tile.
Golden Bear Ceramics began developing and commercializing the Ceramext technology to allow the Idaho-Maryland gold mine in Grass Valley to recycle its tailings and development rock when it is reopened. Due to surface space constraints there is limited ability at the mine to impound or store these materials using traditional methods. Mine waste at the Idaho-Maryland gold mine may be converted to stone products, such as floor and wall tile, roof tile, pavers, and brick. The company is also employing other materials, such as coal fly ash, to manufacture stone tile.
Golden Bear Ceramics exhibited at the West Coast Green Conference in San Francisco, Calif., Sept. 28 to 30, 2006. The conference was well attended by distributors of building materials, design professionals such as architects and interior designers, as well as the general public. The response to the products on display at the Golden Bear booth was very positive with great interest in product qualities and availability.