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Attapulgite Supply and Oilfield Applications

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    • attapulgite May 31, 2023 activeminerals

    This presentation was delivered on 05/09/2023 to Oilfield Minerals and Markets Forum Houston 2023 by Thomas Cortner, Active Minerals International

    Structure and Typical Properties

    • Attapulgite is characterized by its rodlike shape and chainlike crystal structure
    • Tunnels and channels running the length of each rod contribute to a high surface area
    • It has a high water absorption capacity, but swelling is limited compared to smectite
    • Its gelling and binding characteristics make attapulgite a popular additive in drywall compounds, agricultural suspensions, zeolite beads, drilling fluids, and more

     

    Attapulgite Operations

    • Active Minerals performs mining, stockpiling, drying, and milling activities in the area of Climax, Georgia
    • Operations in Quincy, Florida are used for additional air classification and for all packaging
    • Finished product is shipped by bulk rail, bulk truck, export container, flatbed, and dry van
    • Plants are conveniently located near the port of Savannah for export shipments

     

    Drilling Applications

    • Attapulgite is used as a thickener or rheology modifier in water-based drilling fluids
    • Drilling grade quality is based on industry standards set by the American Petroleum Institute in Spec 13A
    • Attapulgite offers two distinct features:
    • Exceptional tolerance to salts
    • Unique rheological profile
    • Unlike gums, attapulgite is not susceptible to shear degradation or microbial attack

     

    Salt Tolerance

    • Bentonite clay is commonly used in water-based drilling muds, but its viscosity is unstable in the presence of salts
    • Attapulgite maintains a stable viscosity even at high salt concentrations
    • This is because bentonite viscosity is driven by electrostatic interactions, vs physical interactions in the case of attapulgite
    • This unique property has earned attapulgite the nickname “salt gel” in the drilling industry

     

    Rheology (Flow Properties)

    • Attapulgite suspensions exhibit high viscosity at low shear rates and low viscosity at high shear rates – this is often called “shear thinning”
    • Improves carrying capacity, hole cleaning, and barite sag, while minimizing pump pressures through the drill string

     

    Looking Ahead

    • Active Minerals remains focused on execution and innovation
    • Recently announced addition of a second attapulgite processing line in Georgia will significantly expand capacity and improve supply reliability
    • New R&D center in Houston is actively working on product development, targeting new markets and new applications
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    Privacy Policy 

    EFFECTIVE DATE: 03/15/2021

    WHO WE ARE 

    In this Privacy Policy, the words “our,” “us,” “we,” and “AMI” refer to Active Minerals International,LLC. AMI is the world's largest producer of gellant attapulgite and air-float kaolin mineral products. 

    We collect and use information about our web site visitors and those that interact with our products and services in order to manage your relationship with AMI and to better serve you.

    HOW WE PROCESS AND HANDLE DATA 

    The information we collect from you depends on the nature of your relationship with us or your interaction with AMI’s products, services, websites and marketing events and communications. The information we collect may include both Personal Data and Other Information, as detailed below. 

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    A. What information we collect through our Sites and how we collect it 

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    b. Information we collect automatically 

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    Device Information. AMI collects data about devices accessing the Sites, which may include the type of device, device settings, application IDs, and unique identifiers. Whether we collect any or all of this information will depend on the type of device used and how it has been configured by you. 

    Location Information. We receive data from you and other third parties that helps us to track an approximate device location. We may use, for example, an IP address detected by your browser or device to determine device location. We may also collect information from devices in accordance with the consent process provided by your device. 

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    MARKETING ACTIVITIES 

    AMI maintains control of the data provided to, or collected by or for, or processed in connection with certain marketing activities, such as in-person meetings, email communications, webinars, conferences, and events. We and our third-party service providers may collect information in the following ways: 

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    b. Information we acquire from a third party
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    We may use information that is collected through our marketing activities in the same way we use information collected through our Sites, as well as for the following purposes:

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    PROCESSING YOUR PERSONAL DATA 

    We will only collect and process your Personal Data in the ways described in this Privacy Policy when we have a reason to do so. 

    AMI relies on the following reasons for processing Personal Data:

    • Consent (where you have given consent) 
      We process certain Personal Data based on the consent you provided when you submitted your information. Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw or decline your consent at any time, such as consenting to receive marketing communications.
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      Where we rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object at any time.
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      If we ask you to provide Personal Data to comply with a legal requirement or to perform a contract with you, we will make this clear at the relevant time and advise you whether the provision of your Personal Data is mandatory or not (as well as the possible consequences if you do not provide your information).

    HOW WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SECURE 

    At AMI, we understand the importance of information, and the need to keep Personal Data secure. We have implemented and maintain technical, administrative and physical security measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, misuse, alteration, accidental loss or destruction. 

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    However, no website or internet transmission is completely secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized access, hacking, data loss or a data breach will never occur, and we cannot warrant the security of any information that you provide to us. You are responsible for securing and maintaining the privacy of any password(s) and account registration information uses with AMI and verifying that the information we maintain about you is accurate and current. We are not responsible for protecting any information that we share with a third party based on an account connection that you have authorized. 

    We require that our third-party service providers and partners agree to keep the information we share with them confidential and to use the information only to perform their obligations in the agreements we have in place with them. AMI has implemented internal policies to ensure that such parties are required under contract to maintain privacy and security protections which are at least as consistent with our own policies and practices. 

    STORAGE AND RETENTION OF YOUR INFORMATION 

    AMI is a global company and your information is stored on regional servers depending on your location and the locations of the servers of the companies we hire to provide services to us based on contractual requirements. 

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    CROSS BORDER TRANSFERS OF INFORMATION AND THE PRIVACY SHIELD 

    AMI is a global company with business processes, management structures and technical systems that cross national borders. This means that your Personal Data may be transferred internally to AMI Affiliates and externally to third parties (including partners and service providers) across international borders for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. AMI transfers data only in accordance with legally approved transfer mechanisms that are appropriate under applicable data protection laws, including the Standard Contractual Clauses.

    WHAT IS NOT COVERED IN THIS POLICY 

    Please note that this Privacy Policy applies only to your relationship with AMI through your use of AMI’s Sites, products, services, events, communications, and marketing and advertising activities. 

    AMI Partners who provide implementation and other solution services may also gather information and you should consult those other parties’ privacy policies as appropriate as they may be applicable to you. Please also note that in using our services, we may provide links to other websites to directly provide information relevant to your use of AMI products. We will provide notice of when we do this. Any interactions you have with these websites are beyond the control of AMI. The Site provides links to websites and access to content, products and services of third parties, including users, advertisers, partners and sponsors of the Site, and such third party websites, content, products or services are governed by the respective third party’s website terms and conditions of use. 

    If you are a job candidate or an AMI employee, please refer to our AMI Employee and Recruitment Privacy Policy available through ADP Workforce Now.

    YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS 

    We provide you the ability to exercise certain controls and choices regarding our collection, use and sharing of your information. 

    Please be aware that, if you do not allow us to collect your information from you, we may not be able to deliver certain products and services to you, and some of the AMI services may not be able to take account of your interests and preferences. 

    Your choices. In accordance with applicable law, you may be entitled to exercise your rights and choices as follows:

    • Account settings. You may update your profile, your account and any related information at any time to ensure that information is up to date or delete inaccuracies by.
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    • Communications from AMI. We may use your information to communicate with you by email, including sending you transactional or marketing emails. AMI enables you to opt out of marketing communications. Some communications you may receive from us are not considered marketing emails, such as communications related to product, sales transactionsand (where permitted by law) quality assurance surveys. Such transactional emails are not subject to general opt-out. Some additional communications you may receive from our partners may also not be subject to general-opt out, including product alerts, updates, and other notices related to partner status. You can tell us to stop sending you marketing emails by clicking the unsubscribe link included at the bottom of AMI’s marketing emails or updating your preferences here. If you have any issues unsubscribing, you may contact us directly.
    • Cookies. Some web browsers (including mobile web browsers) provide settings that allow you to control or reject cookies or to alert you when a cookie is placed on your computer, tablet or mobile device. Although you are not required to accept cookies, if you block or reject them, you may not have access to all features or functionalities available through our services. Please go to our Cookie Policy to learn more on how you can manage your cookie preferences or opt out of cookies and other website data collection tools.

    Additionally, depending on where you are located, you may have other rights. 

    EUROPE and CALIFORNIA

    AMI adheres to applicable data protection laws in Europe and California which, where they apply, provides you with the following rights:

    • Data Access. You may request access to the Personal Data we hold about you and request that we edit or delete them.
    • Data Portability. You are entitled to request copies of Personal Data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or request that this information be transmitted to another service provider (where technically feasible).
    • Deletion. You may be able to have your Personal Data deleted or erased.
    • Correcting inaccurate or incomplete information. We maintain a process to help you confirm that your personal details remain correct and up-to-date.
    • Manage your Information. You may choose whether or not you wish to receive material from us or some of our partners. Please let us know by contacting us.
    • Withdrawing consent. If the processing of your Personal Data is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time as to future processing.
    • Objecting to or restricting use of Personal Data. You can ask us to stop using all or some of your Personal Data (e.g., if we have no legal right to keep using it) or to limit our use of it (e.g., if your Personal Data is inaccurate or unlawfully held).

    Privacy relating to minors 

    As a company focused on serving the needs of businesses, AMI does not promote or market the AMI services to minors and we do not knowingly collect information from minors as defined by applicable law. If we discover we have received any Personal Data from a person under the age of 13 in violation of this Policy, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information as quickly as possible. 

    If you believe we have any information from or about anyone under the age of 13, please contact us.

    UPDATES TO THE POLICY

    From time to time, we may change this Privacy Policy to accommodate new technologies, industry practices, regulatory requirements or to reflect any changes in how we process information. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will be effective when we post the revised Privacy Policy on this website. 

    CONTACT US 

    If you believe your Personal Data has been used in a way that is not consistent with this Privacy Policy or your specified preferences, or if you have further questions related to this Privacy Policy, we encourage you to please contact our Privacy Team at the address below or by emailing: Privacy@activeminerals.com .

    Written inquiries may be addressed to our General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at: 

    Chris Coley 
    Active Minerals Inc 
    34 LovetonCir, STE 100
    Sparks, MD 21152
    Phone: +1 (410) 825-2920
    Fax: +1 (410) 321-1268

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