The British Geological Survey acted as a technical assistance provider until the final visit by the two advisors in December 1999. Following the conclusion of the project the GSN is left with sustainable capability after the return of two Namibian counterparts from their studies at the end of September 1999. The Industrial Minerals Group is now capable of providing laboratory and technical assistance to investors Commodity reports are in progress and will contain information on the geology, mineralogy, chemistry, occurrences, mining methods used, markets, producers of industrial minerals available in Namibia. This information will also be put into a global context and will illustrate Namibia's Industrial Mineral's potential. This is an important property, specifically in clays where stringent specifications in terms of particle size apply.
Particle size is important in ceramics because it influences properties of unfired and fired ware.
A Reflectance Spectrophotometer , for quantitative color measurements of powders and pigments. Color is specified by manufacturers and the supply of products of consistent color is demanded by customers. Color is influenced by the overall particle size of a powder and changes in particle size distribution. A Bruker axs D8 Advance diffractometer system was acquired as an extension of the Industrial Minerals Project and was installed in June 1999. A preliminary assessment proved resources of 2 million tonnes of workable clay to a depth of 3.5m.