From the ABC:

Demand for toilets drives mining plan

 

Under the ground of the Mallee lies a valuable mineral which is in high demand, partly because more toilets are needed in China and India.

Zircon is about as tough as tungsten or emerald and is used as a whitening agent for ceramics.

It is seen as a replacement for tin or zinc oxide.

A rush to extract zircon is being fuelled by the demands of China and India's growing middle class for western-style porcelain toilets.

Chair of South Australian Mineral Exploration at the University of Adelaide, Professor David Giles, says much of the potential for zircon extraction is in the Mallee in the eastern region of South Australia.

"There's a lot, as it turns out. There's two main areas I suppose, one is the Murray basin so that stretches pretty much from the eastern edge of the Mount Lofty Ranges right across through Mildura and that sort of area," he said.

Iluka Resources recorded a fall in revenue from zircon this year and said demand had softened due to global economic conditions and Chinese government efforts to control inflation.

But that was not expected to dampen the prospects of SA zircon producer Murray Zircon.

Full article here