Active Minerals opens R&D Innovation Center in Houston

Active Minerals International (AMI) has opened a new state-of-the-art Research & Development (R&D) Innovation Center in Houston, TX. AMI is an industry leader in the production of Air Float Kaolin and Gellant Attapulgite. The Innovation Center will lead the way for those minerals in new product, process, and application development through technical innovation.

Planning for the centre began in Spring of 2021 with lab build-out commencing in the Summer of 2022. To facilitate operations within the lab, AMI has invested in new state-of-the-art instruments such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and laser particle size analyzer. Typical R&D activities will include new product development, material and mineral research, application testing, and technical support for Sales, Tech Service and Operations. Targeted research includes particle morphology study, mineral phase analysis, particle size measurement, and rheology study.

Brad Casper, AMI President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "AMI’s Innovation Center will accelerate our product innovation pace and broaden our ability to provide our customers world-class technical support.”

The Innovation Center will be run under the direction of AMI Vice-President of Research and Development Bo Wang. Dr Wang joined AMI in 2019 bringing with him more than 25 years of research experience in materials science and industrial minerals. The facility will be staffed by several Senior Research Scientists and Lab Chemists. AMI has several new product development projects slated for initial focus. As a customer focused organisation AMI will also serve current customers through R&D Center participation with customer service and technical support projects.