Non-metallic Mineral Deposits

Nonmetallic Mineral Deposits
Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation - Nonmetallic Deposits
To Final Product
From raw material
Hassan Z. Harraz
hharraz2006@yahoo.com
2015- 2016

Outline of Topic :
21 November 2015 Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation Nonmetallic Deposits 2
We will explore all of the above in Topic.
Earth Resources
Reserves and resources
Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
What are industrial minerals?
Why are industrial minerals so important?
Geology of Industrial Minerals Deposits
Classification of industrial minerals
General characteristics of Non-metallic
Deposits
Factors important in evaluating an industrial
minerals deposit

What is a mineral?
Mineral: inorganic compound that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust
 Solid
 Regular internal crystalline structure
 Definite chemical composition.
Rock is solid combination of one or more minerals.
What are orebody?
 are aggregates of different minerals
 have high concentrations of metal bearing minerals and
 are hosted in barren “country” rock {Mined country rock is referred to as gangue (or
waste)}.
What is an Ore Deposit?
 Ore deposit is an occurrence of minerals or metals in sufficiently high concentration to
be profitable to mine and process using current technology and under current
economic conditions.
 Ore deposits may be considered as:
 Commercial mineral deposits (i.e., Ore: suitable for mining in the present
times) or
 Non-commercial ore deposits (i.e., Protore: problems in mining, transportation,
prices....etc).
21 November Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation Nonmetallic Deposits 3

What is an Ore?
 Ore: Rock materials that exist in quantities that can be extracted and profitably mined
for a mineral (often a metal) or for minerals (metals).
 An ore is a mass of mineralization within the Earth's surface which can be mined:
 at a particular place;
 at a particular time;
 at a profit
 Marketed for a profit.
 Ore: refers to useful metallic minerals that can be mined at a profit and, in
common usage, to some non-metallic minerals such as fluorite and sulfur.
 To be considered of value, an element must be concentrated above the level of
its average crustal abundance:
 High Grade Ore; has high concentration of the mineral
 Low Grade Ore: smaller concentration
Most non-metallic minerals are generally not called ores, but
rather they are called Industrial Minerals

What is gangue (or waste)?
 Gangue (or Waste): Minerals other than ore present in a rock.
 Gangue (or Waste) is mineralized rock that is removed from a mine to provide
access to an underlying or nearby orebody containing at least one mineral of
value.
Types of Gangue (or Waste):
 Typically pure barren materials;
 Gangue material contained within the ore
Gangue (or Waste) rock can become ore at some later point in time.
 Non-Metallic / commodity prices can change
 Other values are discovered within the waste
 New technology is developed
 Cost of environmental protection becomes too high
 Non-metallic minerals has been exhausted; too costly to close the mine.
 Political factors

Finding a Deposit
The old fashioned way
of finding a mine was
your prospector with a
pick and shovel, a gold
pan, and a lot of luck.
Today, technologies used
include, but are not limited to,
exploration geology,
geophysics, geochemistry,
and satellite imagery.

Finding a Deposit
Geophysics
 Geophysical exploration involves searching for favorable
mineral deposits using the physical properties of rocks.
 Geophysical investigations ground-penetrating radar
studies or the use of seismic waves to show contrasting
rock types.
 The selected rock units of interest might then be
mapped and sampled.
Geochemistry
 Geochemists can determine the composition of what
lies below the Earth's surface by sampling soil. Soil at
the surface can carry a chemical signature of what lies
below, because of the movement of chemicals through
the rise and fall of the water table.
 Positive geochemical results from surface sampling are
followed by a drilling program. Because of the great
expense, drilling is only carried out when the area is very
likely to contain substantial mineral deposits.
 Drilling produces either rock fragments, or 'cores' of rock
for sampling to determine whether the mineral deposit
contains worthwhile concentrations of ore mineral
Geology
 Geology is the study of the planet
Earth—the materials of which our planet
is made, the processes that act on these
materials, and the products formed.
 Geologists use ground-mapping
techniques to identify features seen on
satellite images and aerial maps of large
tracts of the continent.
Remote sensing: Landsat and Satellite
Imagery
 Ground-based surveys are expensive,
and one can often experience difficulty
in mapping large-scale structures.
However, large geological structures are
often readily visible on satellite imagery.

Reserves vs. Resources
Reserves
Natural resources that
have been discovered &
can be exploited profitably
with existing technology.
Resources
The term “resource” refers to the
total amounts of a commodity of
particular economic use that is
present in an area. These
estimates include both extractable
and non-extractable amounts of
this commodity.
Deposits that we know or believe to
exist, but that are not exploitable
today because of technological,
economical, or political reasons
Earth Resources may be
Renewable and/or Non-renewable
resources

Compared between Renewable and Non-renewable Mineral Resources
Renewable resources Non-renewable resources
Resource can be replenished over
relatively short time spans
Significant deposits take
millions of years to form; from
a human perspective there
are fixed quantities
 Renewable can be:-  It’s a one-time only deal.
i) Perpetual Renewable
Resources
ii) Potentially Exhaustible/
Renewable Resources
 Once exploited and used the
resource is gone forever.
 Direct solar energy.
 Energy from flowing water, sun,
wind
 Indirect effects related to
hydrological cycle (e.g., wind,
oceans, tides, running water
…etc).
 Alternate/futuristic energy
resources:
 Geothermal energy
 Solar energy
• Fresh Air
• Fresh Water
• Fertile Soil
• Biodiversity: Examples include :
 Plants
 Animals for food
 Trees for lumber
Examples:
Fuels (coal, oil, natural
gas)
Metals (iron, copper,
uranium, gold)

Mineral Resources
 Non-metallic mineral deposits (NM)
 Industrial Minerals (IM)): Sulfur, Gypsum, Coal, Barite, Salt, Clay,
Feldspar, Borax, Lime, Magnesite, Potash, Phosphates, Silica, Fluorite,
Asbestos, Abrasives, Mica.
 Precious stones: Gem Minerals,
 Construction minerals : Stone, Sand, Gravel, Limestone
 Metallic mineral deposits or (Ore mineral deposits):
 Ferrous metals: Iron and Steel, Cobalt, Nickel
 Non-ferrous (or base metals): Copper, Zinc, Tin, Lead, Aluminum,
Titanium, Manganese, Magnesium, Mercury, Vanadium, Molybdenum,
Tungsten.
 Precious metals: Silver, Gold, Platinum
 Energy Resources(or Energy minerals):
 Fossil Fuels: Coal, Oil, Natural Gas
 Radioactive Minerals: Uranium
 Geothermal Energy
 Groundwater

Non-metals
Metals
Year
0
4
8
12
BillionCan$
16
1985
1990
1995
2000
Industrial Minerals and Metal Production
in Canada
50%
75%
(Industrial Minerals and
Structural Materials)
★
B.C.

Fig.2: Selected raw materials consumed in the U.S., 1900-95. For this graph, construction
materials (crushed stone, sand and gravel) have been separated from the remainder of the
industrial minerals to illustrate the upsurge in construction following the end of World War II

21 November Prof. Dr. H.Z. Harraz Presentation Nonmetallic Deposits 13http://eps.berkeley.edu/courses/eps50/documents/lecture31.mineralresources.pdf
13

Fig.1: The most famous 30 ore minerals in the world according to quantity.

Fig.2: The most famous 30 ore minerals in the world according to economic value.

WHAT ARE NON-METALLIC MINERALS?
 Non-metallic minerals are minerals that have no metallic luster and break easily. These are
also called industrial materials and are typically some form of sediment. Non-metallic
minerals are not malleable.
 Nonmetallic minerals/ rocks like limestone, magnesite, dolomite, phosphorite, talc, quartz,
mica, clay, silica sand, gemstones, decorative and dimension stones, construction materials
etc. are the common nonmetallic minerals.
 Sand, limestone, marble, clay and salt are all examples of non-metallic minerals. They are not
recyclable because they can not be reshaped significantly and repurposed, unlike metals that
can be melted down and easily reshaped into a new product. An exemption is concrete
because concrete is often used from a mixture of non-metallic minerals that have been
crushed or ground into small, fine pieces.
 These are called INDUSTRIAL MINERALS because they are used in the creation of many
different products.
 For example, glass is made from sand, silica and limestone. Each type of mineral has a
use for industrial means, such as abrasion, fire resistance and absorbency, that makes
it necessary in industry.
 Nonmetallic minerals do not have a high profit margin, despite how essential they are
to modern industry. The end consumer has little desire or need to pay high prices, but
transporting and mining these materials both have relatively high costs. Because these
materials are so necessary, though, companies continue gathering the materials for
use in factories and product creation.

Coal, Gas,
Oil, Uranium
Iron ore,
Niobium,
Tantalum
Gold,
Silver,
Platinum
Diamond,
Gems
Brick, building
stone, cement,
clay, crushed
rock aggregate,
gypsum, sand,
slate, gravel
Bentonite,
industrial
carbonates,
kaolin, magnesia,
potash, salt, sand,
silica, sulphur
Bauxite/aluminium
, cobalt, copper,
lead, zinc, nickel,
molybdenum
Jewellery,
Monetary,
industrial
Construction Jewellery,
industrial
Ceramics, chemical,
foundry casting,
fillers/pigments,
fuel, gas, iron, steel,
metallurgy, water
treatment
Construction,
electrical/electronic
, engineering,
manufacturing
Aerospace,
contruction,
electronic,
engineering,
manufacturing
, steel making
Electricity, organic
chemical/plastics,
process fuel,
transportation
Energy minerals Non-metallic mineralsMetallic minerals
Mineral Resources
Precious
metals
Ferrous
metals
Base
metals
Construction
minerals
Industrial
minerals
Precious
stones
End Use
Groundwater

Non-metallic (NM) Mineral Resources: not mined to extract a metal or an energy source.
Noncombustible solid rocks or minerals used in industry and construction in natural form or after
mechanical, thermal, or chemical processing or for the extraction of nonmetallic elements or their
compounds.
The variety of the composition and properties of nonmetallic minerals determines the complex nature
of their use.
Nonmetallic minerals are ordinarily divided into four groups on the basis of the field in which they are
used:
(1) Chemical raw materials (apatite, halite, sylvinite, carnallite, bischofite, polyhalite, native sulfur, celestite, barite,
borosilicates, nitrates, natural salt, and so on), most of which are used to produce mineral fertilizers;
(2) Metallurgical raw materials, including nonmetallic minerals used to produce refractories (refractory clays, dolomite,
magnesite, quartzite, and so on), as fluxes (limestones, dolomites, quartzites, and fluorite) and molding materials
(molding clays and sands), and agglomerations of fine ore (bentonite clays);
(3) Construction materials, including nonmetallic construction materials (granite, labradorite, diorite, limestone, dolomite,
marble, quartzite, tuff, sandstone, and so on), ceramic and glass raw materials (high-melting clays, sands, kaolins,
feldspar, wollastoite, and rhyolites), raw material for the production of binders (low-melting clays, limestone,and marl),
mineral dies (ochers and colcothar), and thermal and acoustic insulation materials (perlite and vermiculite);
(4) Nonmetallic non ore raw materials, represented by the (a) industrial crystals (diamond, piezo quartz, Iceland spar,
muscovite, phlogopite, and agate) and precious and (b) semiprecious stones (jewelry diamond, emerald, topaz,
ruby, agate, malachite, turquoise, jasper, and amber). (c ) Asbestos, talc, graphite, and abrasive materials
(corundum and emery) are also ordinarily classed with this group.
As technology develops, the group of nonmetallic minerals is growing steadily through industrial use of rocks and
minerals not formerly used in industry (perlite and wollastonite).
WHAT ARE NON-METALLIC MINERALS?

Non-metallic Resources
• Non-metallic resources - not mined to
extract a metal or an energy source.
 Construction Materials
• sand, gravel, limestone, and gypsum
 Agriculture
• phosphate, nitrate and potassium
compounds.
 Industrial uses
• rock salt, sulfur
 Gemstones
• diamonds, rubies, etc.
 Household and Business Products
• glass sand, diatomite

Non-metallic Mineral Resources

Typical examples of natural Industrial Mineral Deposits :
 Clays
 Silica sand
 Talc
 Limestone/chalk
 Gypsum
 Pumice
 Potash
 Carbonate Minerals
 Evaporite Salts
 Phosphate
 Sulphur
made from:
Mullite bauxite, kaolin
Aluminas bauxite
Silicon carbide quartz + coke
ppt calcium
carbonate
lime & CO2
Spinel magnesite + alumina
Soda salt + limestone + coal +
ammonia
Fused minerals alumina, magnesia, spinel
Typical examples of synthetic IM:
What are Non-metallic Deposits?

Steps in Obtaining Mineral Commodities
1) Prospecting: finding places where non-metallic minerals occur.
2) Mine exploration and development: learn whether non-metallic
minerals can be extracted economically.
3) Mining: extract non-metallic minerals from ground.
4) Beneficiation: separate non-metallic minerals from other mined
rock. (Mill)
5) Refining: extract pure mineral commodity from the ore mineral
(get the good stuff out of waste rock) (Refinery)
6) Transportation: carry commodity to market.
7) Marketing and Sales: Find buyers and sell the commodity.

Geology of Industrial Minerals Deposits
Geology provides
the framework in
which mineral
exploration and
the integrated
procedures of
remote sensing,
geophysics, and
geochemistry are
planned and
interpreted.

Non-metallic mineral deposits life cycle
Supply Sector
exploration
mineral finance
plant engineering
mining
processing
Logistics Sector
trading
port handling
mineral inspection
freight
warehousing/distribution
Consuming Market
Sector
direct market mineral consumer
intermediate market mineral consumer
end market mineral consumer
SUPPLY
DEMAND

Mine to market supply chain
Supply sector
Logistics sector
Consuming market sector
• centres of high population
• their economy - the driver
• directly influence demand for NM

Why are Non-Metallic Deposits so important?
26

Nonmetallic Deposits in your kitchen
IM in
your
kitchen
Glass/glasses/ light bulbs silica sand, limestone, soda ash, borates,
feldspar, lithium
Ceramic tiles/mugs/ plates
….etc.
kaolin, feldspar, talc, wollastonite, borates,
alumina, zirconia
Paint TiO2, kaolin, mica, talc, wollastonite, GCC, silica
Plastic white goods
eg. fridge, washer
talc, GCC, kaolin, mica, wollastonite, flame
retardants (ATH, Mg(OH)2)
Wooden flooring treatment materials- borates, chromite
Drinking water treatment materials- lime, zeolites
Wine/beer diatomite, perlite filters
Salt salt
Sugar lime in processing
Detergents/soap borates, soda ash, phosphates
Surfaces marble, granite
Books kaolin, talc, GCC, lime, TiO2 in paper
Oven glass petalite, borates
Heating elements fused magnesia insulators
Wallboard/plaster gypsum, flame retardants
Metal pots/cutlery mineral fluxes & refractories in smelting

Why are NM so important?
Main consuming market mineral sectors
Abrasives Foundry
Absorbents Glass
Agricultural Metallurgy
Cement Paint
Ceramics Pigments
Chemicals Paper
Construction Plastics
Oil well drilling Refractories
Electronics Flame retardants
Filtration Welding

General characteristics of Non-metallic Deposits
 Highest volume and tonnage
 low value, but vital commodities
 High total value
 Prices are more stable
 NM are prerequisite raw materials for a wide range of industrial and domestic
products
 Recycling is not much of an issue
 Price of the unit value is so low that transportation becomes a major
issue
 Rarely exported.
 Feasibility study: Often need to find a market before looking for a nearby
deposit
 Depending on their uses, product purity and grain size may become very
important factors in deciding the suitability and price of the commodity
 NM support and add value to industrial sectors
 Market demand drives NM supply

Classification of Non-metallic Deposits
 End-use and genesis (Bates, 1960)
 By unit price and bulk (Burnett, 1962)
 Unit value, place value, representative value (Fisher,
1969)
 Chemical and physical properties (Kline, 1970)
 Geologic occurrence and end-use (Dunn, 1973)
 Geology of origin (Harben and Bates, 1984)
 Alphabetical (Harben and Bates, 1990; Carr, 1994)

Classification of Non-metallic deposits (Cont.)
Rock classification Mineral classification
A) Igneous Rocks
 Granite
 Basalt and diabase
 Pumice and pumicite
 Perlite
B) Metamorphic Rocks
 Slate
 Marble
 Serpentinite
 Schist
 Gneiss
C) Sedimentary Rocks
 Sand and gravel
 Sandstone
 Clay
 Limestone and dolomite
 Phosphate rock
 Gypsum
 Salt
A) Igneous Minerals
 Nepheline syenite
 Feldspar
 Mica
 Lithium minerals
 Beryl
B) Vein and Replacement Minerals
 Quartz crystal
 Fluorspar
 Barite
 Magnesite
C) Metamorphic Minerals
 Graphite
 Asbestos
 Talc
 Vermiculite
 Emerald
D) Sedimentary Minerals and sulfur
 Diatomite
 Potash minerals
 Sodium minerals
 Borate
 Nitrates
 Sulfur

Factors important in evaluating a Non-metallic deposits
 Customer specifications
 Distance to customer (transportation)
 Ore grade--concentration of the commodity in the deposit
 By-products
 Commodity prices
 Mineralogical form
 Grain size and shape
 Undesirable substances
 Size and shape of deposit
 Ore character
 Cost of capital
 Location
 Environmental consequences/ reclamation/bonding
 Land status
 Taxation
 Political factors

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN METALLIC AND NON-METALLIC MINERALS DEPOSITS
Metallic Minerals Non-Metallic Minerals
Metallic mineral are those minerals which
can be melted to obtain new products.
Non-metallic minerals are those which do
not yield new products on melting.
Iron, copper, bauxite, gold, tin,
manganese are some examples.
Coal, salt, clay, salt, sulfur, marble are
some examples.
These are generally associated with
igneous/metamorphic rocks.
These are generally associated with
sedimentary rocks.
They are usually hard and have shines or
luster of their own.
They are not so hard and have no shine
or luster of their own.
They are ductile and malleable They are not ductile and malleable.
When hit, they do not get broken. When hit, they may got broken into
pieces.

Non-metallic Mineral Deposits

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