The remainder is from Russia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Bolivia, and a few other countries, including the United States. Most of the antimony mined each year comes from China, which supplies over three-quarters of the world’s total. Antimony is found in trace amounts in silver, copper and lead ores, and it is usually economically possible, as well as environmentally desirable, to extract the antimony from these ores when they are smelted. Of these minerals, only stibnite (Sb2S3) is mined commercially as a source for metallic antimony. It easily combines with other elements, usually including sulfur, to form over 100 different minerals. Relation to MiningĪntimony rarely occurs in its native metallic form in nature. Antimony salts are used in the rubber and textile industries, in medicine and glassmaking. Stibnite is used for metal antifriction alloys, metal type, shot, batteries and in the manufacture of fireworks. Antimony is used as a hardening alloy for lead, especially in storage batteries and cable sheaths, and also used in bearing metal, type metal, solder, collapsible tubes and foil, sheet and pipes, and semiconductor technology. Antimony is used for many technological and industrial purposes. Stibnite is mined in only a few countries, with China being its largest producer. Considering antimony’s vast market potential, and Turkey’s ripe but undeveloped sources, world-class projects could - and should - be easily developed in Turkey.Lead-gray, tarnishing blackish or iridescent in polished section, white LusterĪ native element, antimony metal is extracted primarily from stibnite, which contains 72 percent antimony and 28 percent sulfur. To conclude, future development of potential antimony claims is tied to limited resources and problems in existing producing countries, which increase the importance of antimony mining - it is very likely we’ll see some peaks in the antimony market, and by extension, antimony prices.Īs any investor knows, when the market is already at its peak, it will be a bit too late to invest in antimony. But on the other side, because of prices higher than other metals, even a low-grade antimony mineralization could offer viable projects. ![]() The MTA (General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration of Turkey) discovered more than 20 instances of antimony mineralization, and further exploration test works were done. Because of these reasons, except for a couple of antimony projects, the majority of projects is still under development and operated artisanally. Turkish mining companies generally prefer easy projects like chrome, which offers them some return in the very short term, because chrome mining doesn’t require huge investment and high-grade ores are marketable as they are excavated without any further process.įoreign companies who have ability to reach venture capital markets and stock exchanges generally prefer gold projects, as they are more attractive for their investors. Besides this, Turkey has even more potential that we are not developing yet.Ī lack of venture capital and equity financing system in Turkey forces companies to develop mining projects with their own capabilities. Today, five to six working mines and at least three to four new developers are in existence. Turkey: Apparently Good For More Than Just Importing ScrapĪs of even 100 years ago, Turkey has had operating antimony mines. Sait has been involved in antimony, lead, zinc, and manganese projects in Turkey and graphite projects in Turkey and other countries.Ĭontinued from Part One. ![]() ![]() Sait, involved in the mining industry since 2007, worked as marketing manager for a local graphite miner in Turkey, as a country manager for Black Mountain Group, and is now the global marketing manager for Syrah Resources. MetalMiner welcomes guest contributor Sait Uysal.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |