Application and market of barite
The main chemical composition of barite is BaSO4, BaO accounts for 65.7%, SO3 accounts for 34.3%, of which Ba will be replaced by Pb, Sr and Ca. Pure barite is colorless and transparent, but there are often impurities and various mixed substances that cause its color to change. The actual ore will appear white, gray, light red, light yellow, etc.
The characteristics of barite are high density, insoluble in water and acid, non-toxic and stable in chemical and thermodynamic properties.
Application of barite
Barite is widely used in more than ten industries such as chemical industry, electronics, building materials, metallurgy, textiles, medicine, etc. The most important role is the weighting agent of oil and natural gas drilling mud, cooling drill bits and strengthening well walls. It can prevent blowout accidents; secondly, it is the production of basic barium salts, such as barium sulfate, barium chloride, barium carbonate, and various barium compounds such as barium hydroxide, lithopone, and barium oxide.
- Oil industry
Barite can be used as a weighting agent for drilling mud to cool the drill bit and reinforce the well wall to avoid blowout accidents caused by the imbalance of mud weight and underground oil and gas pressure.
- Chemical industry
The barium salt factory uses barite as raw material to produce lithopone, precipitated barium sulfate, and barium carbonate.
- Paint industry
It can be used as a filler for paints and coatings instead of precipitated barium sulfate, lithopone, titanium dioxide, active silica and other relatively expensive raw materials. It is suitable for controlling the viscosity of the paint, and the product has a bright color and good stability. In paint, adding barite can increase the thickness, durability and strength of the paint film.
- Plastic Industry
It can be used as a filler for plastic ABS raw materials to make the product shiny and bright, and it can also improve the strength, rigidity and wear resistance of the product.
- Rubber industry
Products below 500 mesh can be used in large quantities in rubber products as fillers, reduce costs, improve product hardness, acid and alkali resistance and water resistance, etc., and have a good reinforcing effect on natural rubber and synthetic rubber.
- Paper industry
High-fineness barite powder can be used as filler and coating filler for white paperboard and copper paperboard to improve whiteness and surface coverage. Product specifications: 325 mesh, 400 mesh, 600 mesh, 800 mesh, 1250 mesh, 1500 mesh, 2000 mesh, 2500 mesh, 3000 mesh, 4000 mesh, 5000 mesh, 6000 mesh.
- Cement industry
Compound mineralizers such as barite, fluorite, gypsum, etc.
- Glass industry
Used as oxygen scavenger, clarifying agent, fluxing agent, can increase the optical stability, gloss and strength of glass.
- Architecture industry
It is used as concrete aggregate, paving material, heavy pressure on buried pipelines in swamp areas, instead of lead plates for shielding in nuclear facilities, nuclear power plants, X-ray laboratories, etc., to extend the life of roads.
- Other companies
Barite powder can also be used as a high-quality filler in ceramics and other industries.
The market for barite
The world’s barite mineral resources are widely distributed and are found in more than 40 countries around the world. According to data released by the U.S. Geological Survey, as of the end of 2019, the world’s proven barite reserves were 300 million tons, of which Kazakhstan, Turkey, India, China, Iran, Thailand, Pakistan, Russia and other countries are relatively rich in resources. Accounted for 89.7% of the world’s total.
Article source: China Powder Network