The search for deposits

Until the 30s, Brazil imported all the asbestos it consumed. In 1939, with the foundation of SAMA - Sociedade Anônima de Mineração de Amianto, this situation started to change.

In the beginning of the 40s, small deposits such as those found in Pontalina, in the south of the State of Goiás, and the mine in São Felix, in the county of Poções, in Bahia, where SAMA began its activities, started to be investigated. However, production was insufficient to meet the needs of the domestic market.

The history of a significant achievement

In 1962, after riding more than 100 km on horseback, a geological expedition arrived in the region where they found the owner of a modest enterprise who sold strange "hairy rocks". This is how they found the deposit that has enabled Brazil to become self-sufficient in this area: The Cana Brava mine, located in the county of Minaçu, in the northeast of the State of Goiás. Estimates indicate that there is enough mineral to produce chrysotile asbestos for the next 50 years. In addition to having considerable reserves, the mine produces high-quality chrysotile fiber, rarely found in other regions. This fiber is also highly indicated for industries in the transformation sector, especially the fiber cement industry. Asbestos extraction is, in general, done in an open-pit mine and the mineral then goes through a process called dry milling, in which no chemical agents are used.

Production of the Cana Brava Mine:

Access the site SAMA 40 years to learn more about the history of the Cana Brava Mine.

The Cana Brava mine ensures that the country is self-sufficient in asbestos

Currently, the Cana Brava mine - the only asbestos mine in operation in the country - only produces chrysotile asbestos. Because of the activities in this mine, Brazil is now the third largest world asbestos producer, and supplies not only the domestic market, but also exports to many countries.

The chain of production for the Brazilian chrysotile asbestos, from mining to the sale of its by-products, generates 170 thousand jobs in the country. Six percent of the Brazilian chrysotile production is used in friction products and insulation mats, among other uses; and 94% is used in the production of fiber cement (50% of the roofing material and 80% of the water tanks in Brazil are made of fiber cement).