Barium Mining

BARIUM:

Barium, an abundant alkaline earth metal, is commonly found on Earth. Its primary source of extraction is its major sulfate ore, known as 'Baryte' or 'Barite'.

MINING:

The chief ore of barium, barite, is mined from the surface using the open-pit mining method. The presence of barite is initially confirmed through an initial analyzing process, and the distribution of the ores is also estimated. In some cases, barite is found with limestone, which is mined for the extraction of calcium. The mine is constructed with steps of walls containing benches and ramps. These ramps are highly useful in transporting the barite ores from the mine to the primary processing unit.

The ramps are also utilized for the movement of machinery and miners within the mine. Excavation techniques involving drilling and blasting are employed to extract barite ores. A pond is constructed for the disposal of tailings from the primary processing unit. These primary processing units are typically integrated with the mines. The open-pit method is significantly less expensive than other mining techniques and is widely employed.

Processing and Extraction:

The collected ore containing barite undergoes washing, crushing, and sorting to remove the quartz particles. In cases where the quantity of quartz is high, the froth flotation process is employed for further separation of quartz from barite. The filtered barite is then reduced to barium sulfide using carbon.

BaSO₄ + 2C ----- > BaS + 2CO₂

The barium sulfide is the base compound used to produce other barium compounds. It is treated with sulfuric acid to produce barium sulfate, with nitric acid to form barium nitrate, with liquid carbon dioxide to form barium carbonate, and the list goes on.

For the production of barium metal, barium nitrate is decomposed by heat to produce barium oxide, which is then reduced into barium metal by aluminum.

4 BaO + 2 Al ----- > 3 Ba + BaAl₂O₄

In some cases, the reaction is conducted in an argon atmosphere for ultra-pure barium metal.

DEFINITION:

Barium is a chemical element with the symbol Ba and atomic number 56. It is a soft, silvery metallic alkaline earth metal. Barium is never found in nature in its pure form due to its reactivity with air. Its oxide is historically known as baryta, but it reacts with water and carbon dioxide and is not found as a mineral. The most common naturally occurring minerals are the highly insoluble barium sulfate (BaSO₄) and barium carbonate (BaCO₃). Benitoite is a rare gem containing barium.

PROPERTIES:

Barium is a soft and malleable metal. Its simple compounds are distinguished for their relatively high specific gravity. This is true of the most common barium-bearing mineral, its sulfate barite (BaSO₄), also called 'heavy spar' due to its high density.

APPLICATIONS:

Barium nitrate and chlorate provide green colors in fireworks.
Barium titanate was proposed in 2007 to be used in next-generation battery technology for electric cars.
Barium fluoride is used for optics in infrared applications, as it is transparent from about 0.15 to 12 microns.