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Bentonite is an absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate, essentially impure clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite. There are different types of bentonite, each named after the respective dominant element, such as potassium (K), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), and aluminium (Al). Experts debate a number of nomenclatorial problems with the classification of bentonite clays. Bentonite usually forms from weathering of volcanic ash, most often in the presence of water. However, the term bentonite, as well as a similar clay called tonstein, has been used for clay beds of uncertain origin. For industrial purposes, two main classes of bentonite exist: sodium and calcium bentonite. In stratigraphy and tephrochronology, completely devitrified (weathered volcanic glass) ash-fall beds are commonly referred to as K-bentonites when the dominant clay species is illite. Other common clay species, and sometimes dominant, are montmorillonite and kaolinite. Kaolinite-dominated clays are commonly referred to as tonsteins and are typically associated with coal. Read the rest of this entry »

The mica group of sheet silicate (phyllosilicate) minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition. The highly perfect cleavage, which is the most prominent characteristic of mica, is explained by the hexagonal sheet-like arrangement of its atoms.
The word “mica” is derived from the Latin word mica, meaning “a crumb” and probably influenced by micare, “to glitter”.

Mica classification
Chemically, micas can be given the general formula
X2Y4–6Z8O20(OH,F)4
in which X is K, Na, or Ca or less commonly Ba, Rb, or Cs;
Y is Al, Mg, or Fe or less commonly Mn, Cr, Ti, Li, etc.;
Z is chiefly Si or Al, but also may include Fe3+ or Ti.
Structurally, micas can be classed as dioctahedral (Y = 4) and trioctahedral (Y = 6). If the X ion is K or Na, the mica is a “common” mica, whereas if the X ion is Ca, the mica is classed as a “brittle” mica. Read the rest of this entry »

The question of Chromite vs.  Zircon has always been a very difficult subject because good quality Zircon has always been a very difficult subject because of good quality Zircon sand performs extremely well, and has been used as a benchmark in the production of quality Zircon sand performs extremely well, and has been used as a benchmark in the production of quality castings over the past 20 years. castings over the past 20 years. However, during the past 6 to 8 years Zircon has become very variable However, during the past 6 to 8 years has become very variable Zircon and the so-called foundry grades are giving some foundries severe problems due to contamination. and the so-called foundry grades Foundries are giving some severe problems due to contamination.

When the cleanliness of Chromite is at turbidity levels of less than 100 ppm Chromite will perform better When the cleanliness of Chromite Chromite is at turbidity levels of less than 100 ppm will perform better than Zircon in the heavy steel foundry environment. Zircon than in the heavy steel foundry environment. This is supported by our customer list, which This is supported by our customer list, which includes the majority of the heavy high quality steel foundries worldwide. includes the Majority of the heavy high quality steel Foundries worldwide. Read the rest of this entry »

Coal is a fossil fuel formed in ecosystems where plant remains were preserved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation, thus sequestering atmospheric carbon. It is composed primarily of carbon and hydrogen along with small quantities of other elements, notably sulfur. Coal is extracted from the ground by coal mining, either underground mining or open pit mining (surface mining).

Coal is the largest source of fuel for the generation of electricity world-wide, as well as the largest world-wide source of carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and these emissions contribute to climate change and global warming. In terms of carbon dioxide emissions, coal is slightly ahead of petroleum and about double that of natural gas

Four Basic Varieties of Coal
Anthracite: Sometimes also called “hard coal,” anthracite was formed from bituminous coal when great pressures developed in folded rock strata during the creation of mountain ranges. Anthracite has the highest energy content of all coals and is used for space heating and generating electricity. Anthracite averages 25 million Btu per ton.

Bituminous
 Bituminous or “soft” coal formed when greater pressure was applied to subbituminous coal. This is the type most commonly used for electric power generation in the U.S.. It has a higher heating value than either lignite or subbituminous, but less than that of anthracite. Bituminous coal averages 24 million Btu per ton.

Subbituminous
Subbituminous coal formed from lignite when it came under higher pressure. This coal is a combustible mineral formed from the remains of trees, ferns and other plants that existed and died during the time of the dinosaurs. A dull black coal with a higher heating value than lignite that is used primarily for generating electricity and for space heating. Subbituminous coal averages 18 million Btu per ton.

Lignite
 Increased pressures and heat from overlying strata caused buried peat to dry and harden into lignite. Lignite is a brownish-black coal with generally high moisture and ash content and lower heating value. However, it is an important form of energy for generating electricity, particularly in the American Southwest. Lignite averages 14 million Btu per ton

Copper (/ˈkɒpər/ kop-ər) is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from Latin: cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish. It is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, a building material, and a constituent of various metal alloys.

The metal and its alloys have been used for thousands of years. In the Roman era, copper was principally mined on Cyprus, hence the origin of the name of the metal as сyprium (metal of Cyprus), later shortened to сuprum. Its compounds are commonly encountered as copper(II) salts, which often impart blue or green colors to minerals such as turquoise and have been widely used historically as pigments. Architectural structures built with copper corrode to give green verdigris (or patina). Decorative art prominently features copper, both by itself and as part of pigments.

Copper(II) ions are water-soluble, where they function at low concentration as bacteriostatic substances, fungicides, and wood preservatives. In sufficient amounts, they are poisonous to higher organisms; at lower concentrations it is an essential trace nutrient to all higher plant and animal life. The main areas where copper is found in animals are tissues, liver, muscle and bone. Read the rest of this entry »

Only a true contrarian investor could like copper.  Copper prices are down. Copper prices have fallen $4.50 per pound to just over $3 per pound between August and September.

Copper is out of favor. Anytime the price of anything is falling – gold, stocks, bonds, etc. – the herd assumes “something must be wrong.”

The outlook for copper is getting worse. Investment banks, whose research drives the majority of money managers’ decisions, have been consistently lowering their copper forecasts. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse all cut their price forecasts within a week’s time.

Simply put, global economic malaise and fears of it getting worst have not been good to copper.

But Mineweb, one of the leading global commodity and mining research providers, says about copper, “Weak demand in the short term but stronger medium and long-term prospects.”

So what’s the verdict on copper? Buy, sell, or hold. As with all potential commodities, future of copper and will be determined by supply and demand. Read the rest of this entry »

General Magnesite Information
Magnesite is magnesium carbonate, MgCO3. Iron (as Fe2+) substitutes for magnesium (Mg) with a complete solution series with siderite, FeCO3. Calcium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may also occur in small amounts. Dolomite, (Mg,Ca)CO3, is almost indistinguishable from magnesite.

Occurrence of magnesite
Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic rocks, serpentinite and other magnesium rich rock types in both contact and regional metamorphic terranes. These magnesites often are cryptocrystalline and contain silica as opal or chert.

Magnesite is also present within the regolith above ultramafic rocks as a secondary carbonate within soil and subsoil, where it is deposited as a consequence of dissolution of magnesium-bearing minerals by carbon dioxide within groundwaters. Read the rest of this entry »

Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.

Gold objects are plentiful in the Bronze age, especially in Ireland and Spain, and there are several well known possible sources. Read the rest of this entry »

Manganese is gray-white metal with a pink tint and a very brittle but hard metallic element. His order number 25 In 1774, while heating the mineral pyrolusite (MnO2, manganese dioxide) in a charcoal fire, was discovered by Swedish scientist Johann Gahn manganese. The heat and carbon in the charcoal separated oxygen from the manganese dioxide, so that a metallic manganese residue. This chemical reaction is called a reduction reaction.

Manganese is a reactive element that easily combines with ions in water and air. Manganese in the soil is found in a number of minerals of different chemical and physical properties, but is never found as free metal in nature. The most important mineral is pyrolusite, because it is the most important ore mineral for manganese. When manganese alloyed with other metals such as aluminum, copper and antimony, is the end product is magnetic. Read the rest of this entry »

Zeolites are microporous, aluminosilicate minerals commonly used as commercial adsorbents. The term zeolite was originally in 1756 by Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt that the rapid heating of the material stilbite on it large amounts of water vapor from the water that was observed characterized by the material adsorbed.
Zeolites are widely used in industry for the purification of water, as catalysts for the production of modern materials and nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. Their greatest use is in the manufacture of detergents. They are also used in medicine and agriculture. Read the rest of this entry »