Magnesia and Hydrated Lime from Wakefield Brucitic Limestone

Introduction The Wakefield plant of the Aluminum Company of Canada, Limited - a member of the Aluminum, Limited, group of companies - produces magnesia, magnesia fertilizer ingredient, and hydrated lime, from brucitic limestone. Wakefield is on the Gatineau river in Wakefield township, Quebec, some 22 miles north of Ottawa. The plant is near the western bank of the river adjacent to the Ottawa-Maniwaki highway and branch line of the Canadian Pacific railway. The plant is unique in the sense that it is the only place in Canada where brucite is processed. It is also distinguished for its outstanding safety record, as not a single lost-time accident occurred during either 1948 or 1949. The plant is amply provided with safety and comfort provisions in keeping with the standard practice in all of the twelve plants operated in Canada by Alcan and its associated companies. History Following the identification of brucite in the Rutherglen and Bryson districts in Ontario, occurrences of the mineral were discovered in the Wakefield area, Quebec, in 1939. After exploratory work on these deposits and investigation by the Bureau of Mines, Ottawa, on a method of extracting the brucite from the ore, a plant for treating the ore from the Maxwell property was built in 1941 by the Aluminum Company of Canada and commenced operations in early 1942. The process used is more or less in accordance with the method worked out by Mr. M. F. Goudge of the Bureau of Mines.