Mineral resources in Gujarat

 

🌋Minerals in Gujarat

• Gujarat is the principal producer of Bauxite, Marl, Sulphur, Manganese ore and Petroleum & natural gas in the country.

• The State is the sole holder of the country's chalk, marl and per litre sources and possesses 66% fluorite, 28% diatomite, 25% bentonite, 18% granite,12% wollastonite, 10% limestone and 9% bauxite resources.

Major Minerals

1. Lignite
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   • Popularly termed as 'Brown Gold' all over the world. Gujarat is rich in high grade Lignite.
   • 25%-35% carbon content, lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat content.
   • Mined all around the world and is used almost exclusively as a for steam electric power generation.
   • Found in Katchh, Bhavnagar and Tadkeshwar(Bharuch).

2. Bauxite
   • Sedimentary rock with relatively high aluminium content.
   • World's main source of alluminium and gallium.
   • Reserves Bauxite are found in Kutch as well as Devbhoomi Dwarka District.
   • Plant Grade Bauxite is consumed for manufacturing of Refractories, Abrasives, Monolithic, Binder, Specialized Alumina Cement, etc.
   • Non - Plant Grade Bauxite is consumed in Aluminium Metal Extraction, Cement Industries, Manufacturing of Zeolites, etc.

     Projects: Gadhsisa & Mevasa

3. Manganese
   • In Gujarat Manganese deposits is found in Panchmahal, Vadodara and Dahod Districts.
   • Manganese ore is important in an industrial economy as manganese in alloy forms is an esential input in steel making.
   • Manganese is not found as a free element in nature.It is often found in combination with iron.
   • Basic raw material for manufacturing steel alloys.
   • It is also used in the manufacturing of bleaching powder, insecticides, paints, and batteries.

4. Limestone
   • Limestone is a rock composed mainly of Calcium Carbonate
   • Limestone is mostly used in manufacture of cement.
   • High grade limestone is used for the manufacture of bleaching powder Soda ash, caustic, soda, calcium carbide etc.
   • Blast furnaces utilize limestone as a flux in pig iron and steel, textiles and sugar industries.
   • It is also used in glass, paper, soap, rubber.

Minor Minerals

Fluorspar (Fluorite)- Kadipani Mine

• Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2.

• Raw material for manufacturing of Hydrofluoric Acid, Refrigerant gases and in Metallurgical Industries.

• Source of fluoride & fluorine.

Silica Sand

• Silica sand is one of the most common varieties of sand found in the world.

• Sand is the general term for broken down granules of minerals or rocks, technically between about one-sixteenth of a millimeter to two millimeters in diameter, falling between silt and gravel in the spectrum of sizes. There are many varieties of sand in the world, each with their own unique composition and qualities.

• Silica is another name for silicon dioxide, SiO2 , of which quartz is a specific latticed structure.

• So silica sand is quartz that over the years, through the work of water and wind, has been broken down into tiny granules. These granules can be used for many different purposes, and can be found in most non-tropical regions of the world.

• Silica sand used for water purification and manufacture of glass, synthetic foundry moulding catalysts, disodium ultramarine etc.

• It is also used for acid heat resistant ceramics, refractories, pottery glaze, enamel etc. Silica sand of 150 mesh is used in Sawing stone, grinding and surfacing glass and polishing marble

• Rounded Grains of silica sand are used for sand blasting it is also used as a filler in paints 'Wood Paste' moulded hard rubber goods, gypsum Plasters, oxychloride acoustic plasters and soap.

Ball Clay

• Ball clay is an extremely rare mineral found in very few places around the world.

• Its name dates back to the early methods of mining when specialized hand tools were used to extract the clay in rough cube shapes of about 30 cm. As the corners were knocked through handling and storage these cubes became rounded and ball shaped.

• It also is sometimes referred to as plastic clay. Ball clay consist of ultra fine clay particles.

• This helps to make them sticky (or 'plastic') and easily shaped when damp (the word 'clay' is derived from the Old English 'claeg', meaning sticky).

• Some also have fluid properties that are valuable in the casting of large ceramic pieces such as toilet bowls. Ball Clay is a variety of Kaolinite, like china-clay. It differs from china-clay in having high plasticity and less refractoriness.

  Uses

  • Used as a raw material in wall & floor tiles production
  • Used as a raw material in sanitary ware production.
  • Used as a Raw material in Refractory Production
  • Used as Raw material in Ceramic clay pipe production.
  • Used as a raw material in Electrical insulators.
  • Ball clay used in other than ceramic industries for its binding properties. it is used as a filler in paint, fertilizer and etc.

Bentonite

• Bentonite are very fine grained clays

• Based on water absorbing qualities in industry, bentonite are known as swelling and non-swelling types.
  • The swelling types absorbs large quantities of water, swells enormously in the process and remains in suspension for a long time in dilute water dispersions.
  • The non-swelling absorbs water slightly more than ordinary plastic clays. It does not swell much and settles rapidly in dilute suspensions. There are all gradations between two types.
  • The swelling property is reversible, i.e. the bentonite can be dried and re swelled again and again.

• It is used in preparation of drilling mud for oil well drilling.

• For a catalyst in Petroleum refining.

• In ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy as a foundry sand bond.

• It is also used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics etc.

• It is also used to prevent setting of mixed paints.

• It is used for lining canals and earthen dam in civil engineering.

• At present sodium bentonite is used in large quantities as a binding agent in pelletising of iron ore fines.

• It is also used in ceramics and insecticides

Dolomite

• Mixture of lime and magnesia.

• Large reserves in Chhotaudepur - 98 active mines

• Used as a building and ornamental stone.

• Used for manufacture of certain cement.

• Used for the manufacture of magnesia used in the preparation of refractory linings of the converters in the basic steel process.

• Dolomite is a potential ore of metallic magnesium

• Burnt to lightly burnt dolomite is used for purification of sea water and in production of lime.

• It is used in manufacture of paints and pigments.

• Half burnt dolomite is used in mixed fertilizers, sorrel's cement etc.

• Used in preparation of mosaic tiles.

Wollastonite

• Ghoda, Banaskantha

• The uses of wollastonite include marine wallboard, paint, plastic, in refractory liners in steel mills and as a partial replacement for short-fibre asbestos in certain applications, such as, brake-lining.

• Ceramic Industry substantially uses the domestic production of wollastonite as a filler.