barite-Industry News-Jiangxi Mingxin Metallurgical Equipment Co., Ltd.
Barite is a non-metallic mineral mainly composed of barium sulfate (BaSO ?), with unique physical and chemical properties and wide industrial application value. The following is a comprehensive analysis of its core information:
1、 Chemical and Physical Properties
composition and structure
The chemical formula of barite is BaSO ?, with a theoretical chemical composition of BaO (65.7%) and SO3 (34.3%). Barium ions (Ba 2 ?) can be partially replaced by strontium (Sr 2 ?) or lead (Pb 2 ?), forming variations such as lapis lazuli (Sr>Ba) or Beitou stone (high lead content). Its crystal structure is rhombohedral, often in the form of thick plates or columns, and the aggregates can be granular, fibrous, or dense block like. Pure barite is a white transparent crystal that can appear gray, light red, yellow, and other colors due to impurities. It has a glassy luster and a pearl like cleavage surface.
Key physical properties
Density: 4.0-4.6 g/cm 3, significantly higher than common minerals such as quartz (2.65 g/cm 3), making it an ideal choice for drilling mud weighting agents.
Hardness: Mohs hardness of 3-3.5, lower than glass, easy to process and break.
Chemical stability: insoluble in water and hydrochloric acid, non-magnetic and non-toxic, but soluble in concentrated sulfuric acid and molten alkali, can decompose into barium oxide (BaO) upon heating.
Special performance: It has the ability to absorb X-rays and gamma rays, and is widely used in medical and nuclear industry protection.
2、 Global distribution and reserves
Resource concentration
Global barite resources are abundant, mainly distributed in four major mineralization domains:
Gondwana metallogenic domain: southern India (such as the Sargur deposit).
Pacific Rim metallogenic domain: China, Nevada, Mexico.
Laoya metallogenic domain: Qinling Daba Mountains in China, Arkansas in the United States.
Tethys metallogenic domain: Türkiye, Iran, Germany.
By 2019, the world's proven reserves are about 300 million tons, with Kazakhstan, China, India, Türkiye and other countries accounting for nearly 90%. Although China has the second largest reserves in the world (121 million tons, accounting for 30%), its production and export volume both rank first in the world. In 2023, its production will reach 3.5 million tons, accounting for 45% of the world's total.
China's resource advantages
The reserves of barite in China are highly concentrated in Guizhou (35%), Guangxi (22%), and Hunan (18%) provinces. Among them, the Tianzhu deposit in Guizhou has a single ore body reserve of over 50 million tons, which is a world-class super large deposit. The ore quality is excellent, with an average BaSO ? content of 85% -92%, significantly higher than the global average (75%). The purity of the hydrothermal deposit can reach 98%, which can be directly used in the high-end chemical industry.