How Industry is Tapping into Industrial Minerals Potential

How Industrial minerals protect the environment

Industrial minerals act as substitutes for asbestos for insulation. It also serves as an absorbent for oil & chemical cleanups. These are even used in treating & purifying drinking water while it also helps the landscaped and reclamation areas to absorb & hold water, and reduce the amount of water used. Industrial sand is utilized in the processing of wastewater, filtration of drinking water, and the production of water from wells.

Industrial Minerals in the renewable energy sector

Industrial minerals are also highly essential to develop renewable energy technologies. A 3 MW wind turbine consists of 1200 tons of concrete, from limestone & aggregates and a single wind turbine could comprise thirteen tons of fiberglass as well as 3 tons of aluminum (bauxite). Batteries play a significant role by supporting both the wind as well as solar energy, which allows for the storage of excess power.

Industrial Minerals in the defense sector

While Manganese is used in the manufacturing of high-strength steel for using it in the armored vehicles, aluminum offers a strength-to-weight ratio in military aircraft, which is unique.

Significance of XRF analysis in the exploration & mining of industrial minerals

Geologists should map out the mineral distribution of the particular deposit prior to developing a mining plan. This can be achieved by evaluating the geological processes, which are also known as mineralizing events – the ones that formed them. In order to direct & control the mining process geologists study the lithology as well as other geochemical data. Once it is been determined that a sufficient quantity of minerals is present & cost-effective mining can commence. This is where X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis comes into the picture.

While XRF is an advanced tool that is used for the exploration as well as mining of industrial minerals, for in-quarry exploration and evaluating the composition of raw materials, portable XRF analyzers act as an emerging instrument of choice for industrial use. Determining penalty elements in limestone, iron ore, & bauxite, and blending & sorting raw materials are the various significant & useful applications for portable XRF analysis in industrial minerals mining. Industrial minerals users are often conservative by nature and they do not readily accept new products. For example, the paper industry is a complex technology & an industrial clay - kaolin would be just a component in a complex formulation. Therefore, purchasing agents should be convinced that the product is compatible with their formulations & further that the product quality & supply are going to be consistent.

The road ahead

Market demand for industrial minerals also influences the way and method used in mining. Industrial minerals are extracted by surface mining, primarily and this is less expensive when compared to underground mining. However, the costs of drilling, extraction, & transporting the raw materials still have to be considered & weighed against the current market demand for that specific mineral even when any location is determined to have an economically viable mineral deposit, potentially. These are typically mined from current & existing sites/areas which are close to infrastructure as their price doesn’t justify the cost of building up the infrastructure that is needed to explore a new site.