industry/Business
Fluorspar users lace tightening supplies Alternative source, largely untapped, exists in recovery of fluorine compounds from processing of phosphate rock Users of fluorspar—the basic raw material for all fluorine products—are facing a shortage of the mineral that could have far-reaching effects on a large segment of U.S. industry during the next decade. A promising sign of alleviating such a shortage is already appearing, however, in a form that should please both fluorspar consumers and antipollution advocates alike: Phosphate producers are considering recovery of fluorine compounds that for years have been discarded during phosphate rock processing. Fluorspar (calcium fluoride) is an essential aid and raw material in making steel, aluminum, glass, ceramic materials, enriched uranium, hydrofluoric acid, and a variety of fluorochemicals including fluorocarbon plastics, solvents, refrigerants, and aerosol propellants. U.S. producers of these products
last year used 1.3 million tons of fluorspar, about 80% of it imported (the bulk from Mexico and substantial amounts from Italy and Spain). World consumption of fluorspar was 3.15 million tons last year and will increase to almost 5 million tons in 1975, according to C. H. Kline & Co., a consulting group studying world supply of fluorspar and fluorine products. To produce this quantity of finished fluorspar, the Fairfield, N.J., group says, producers will have to mine more than 13.5 million tons of varying grades of fluorspar ores. Large users voice serious doubt that there will be enough fluorspar in the required grades within the next decade to continue production of steel, aluminum, and chemicals by current technology and to supply other fluorspar users. Factors. C. H. Kline & Co. lists three main factors that account for the increasingly tight supplies of fluorspar: • Rapid expansion of the basic oxygen and electric furnace processes for steelmaking. Fluorspar is used as a flux in steelmaking. Basic oxygen furnaces use more than three times as much fluorspar per ton of steel produced as do the open hearth furnaces they replace. Electric furnaces use twice as much per ton as do the open hearth furnaces.
Steel is biggest fluorspar consumer...
• Continued high growth in world aluminum production, which producers forecast will be 9% per year through the 1970's. Each ton of aluminum produced requires 60 to 100 pounds of cryolite (sodium aluminum fluoride) and 60 to 80 pounds of aluminum fluoride, both generally made from hydrofluoric acid, which in turn is made from fluorspar. • Strong increase in demand of fluorocarbon propellants for aerosols, as well as of fluorocarbon polymers and refrigerants. U.S. production of these materials is growing at 8% per year, and much faster in many parts of the world. Fluorocarbons and aluminum together account for at least 75°/o of the world's consumption of hydrofluoric acid. In many of its uses, fluorspar has so far proved to be practically irreplaceable. For instance, in steelmaking alternate fluxes have been proposed, but none has proved effective and/or economical. And there are no substitutes yet available as a raw material for electrolytes for aluminum production. Although fluorspar mining companies the world over are stepping up exploration activities to meet the growing shortage of fluorspar, there exists a large, and heretofore almost
mostly in basic oxygen process
U. S. consumption, thousands of tons
Consumption in steelmaking, thousands of tons
1000
2000 Total
Total Steel
Basic oxygen
Chemicals Open hearth
Aluminum Other
Electric
1960 Source: C.H. Kline & Co.
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C&EN APRIL 19, 1971
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