Explore our warehouse of metals and minerals, from copper, cobalt and nickel to zinc, lead and iron alloys.
Barite is a mineral consisting of barium sulphate – a white, odourless crystalline solid. Barite is commonly found in the lead-zinc veins of limestones, in hydrothermal veins, and in hematite ores.
Worldwide, 69 to 77% of barite is used as a weighting agent for drilling fluids in oil and gas exploration to prevent high formation pressures and blowouts.
Chromite is a crystalline mineral composed primarily of iron oxide and chromium oxide compounds. It is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group.
Chromite minerals are mainly found in mafic-ultramafic igneous intrusions and are also sometimes found in metamorphic rocks.
Chromite can be used as a refractory material, because it has a high heat stability. The chromium extracted from chromite is used in chrome plating and alloying for production of corrosion resistant superalloys, nichrome, and stainless steel.
Coal is a fossil fuel that has been used for centuries as a primary source of energy. It is formed from the remains of plants that have been buried for millions of years, subjected to high temperatures and pressures, and transformed into a combustible material. Coal is abundant and can be found in many parts of the world, making it a widely used and affordable energy source.
However, coal is also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, making it a significant environmental concern. The burning of coal releases carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollutants into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change and negatively impacting human health.
Copper is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity.
Copper is one of the few metals that can occur in nature in a directly usable metallic form (native metals). This led to very early human use in several regions, from circa 8000 BC.
Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material, and as a constituent of various metal alloys, such as sterling silver used in jewelry.
Beyond its industrial applications, gold has long been a symbol of wealth and status, with its value often seen as a hedge against inflation and market volatility. As a result, gold has become a popular investment vehicle, with many individuals and institutions seeking to diversify their portfolios by adding gold to their assets.
Central banks, in particular, hold significant gold reserves, which serve as a guarantee of a country’s financial stability. The demand for gold is also driven by its use in jewelry and other decorative items, with the global gold market valued at over $150 billion annually.
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red.
Iron is the world’s most commonly used metal. Steel, of which iron ore is the key ingredient, represents almost 95% of all metal used per year. It is used primarily in structures, ships, automobiles, and machinery.
Lead is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point.
Lead rarely occurs in its native, metallic form. Many lead minerals are relatively light and, over the course of the Earth’s history, have remained in the crust instead of sinking deeper into the Earth’s interior.
Lead’s high density, low melting point, ductility and relative inertness to oxidation make it useful. These properties, combined with its relative abundance and low cost, resulted in its extensive use in construction, plumbing, batteries, bullets and shot, weights, solders, pewters, fusible alloys, white paints, leaded gasoline, and radiation shielding.
Natural gas is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel and non-renewable resource that is formed when layers of organic matter decompose under anaerobic conditions and are subjected to intense heat and pressure underground over millions of years.
Natural gas can be burned for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. It is also used as a chemical feedstock in the manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals and less commonly used as a fuel for vehicles.
A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments.
The traditional classification in the West, which goes back to the ancient Greeks, begins with a distinction between precious and semi-precious. In modern use, the precious stones are emerald, ruby, sapphire and diamond.
The distinction between precious and semi-precious gemstones reflects the rarity of the respective stones in ancient times, as well as their quality.
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride, a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts. Salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater.
Salt is processed from salt mines and from the evaporation of seawater (sea salt) as well as mineral-rich spring water in shallow pools.
Its major industrial products are caustic soda and chlorine. Salt is used in many industrial processes including the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride, plastics, paper pulp and many other products.
Sulfur is a chemical element. Though sometimes found in pure, native form, sulfur usually occurs as sulfide and sulfate.
Historically and in literature, sulfur is also called brimstone, which means “burning stone”.
Today, almost all elemental sulfur is produced as a byproduct of removing sulfur-containing contaminants from natural gas and petroleum.
The largest commercial use of the element is the production of sulfuric acid for sulfate and phosphate fertilizers as well as other chemical processes. Sulfur is also used in matches, insecticides, and fungicides.
Lithium is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly reactive and flammable and must be stored in a vacuum, in an inert atmosphere, or in inert liquid such as purified kerosene or mineral oil.
It never occurs freely in nature, but only in (usually ionic) compounds, such as pegmatitic minerals, which were once the main source of lithium.
Due to its solubility as an ion, it is present in ocean water and is commonly obtained from brines. Lithium metal is isolated electrolytically from a mixture of lithium chloride and potassium chloride.
Lithium and its compounds have several industrial applications, including heat-resistant glass and ceramics, lithium grease lubricants, flux additives for iron, steel and aluminium production, lithium batteries, and lithium-ion batteries.
Talc is a clay mineral that predominantly forms from the metamorphism of magnesian minerals such as serpentine, pyroxene, amphibole, and olivine, in the presence of carbon dioxide and water. It occurs as foliated to fibrous masses, and in an exceptionally rare crystal form.
Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. The mineral is used as a thickening agent and lubricant. It is also an ingredient in ceramics, paint, and roofing material, and is a main ingredient in many cosmetics.
Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a silvery-greyish appearance. The element is normally found in association with other base metals such as copper and lead in ores.
About one-half of the zinc that is produced is used in zinc galvanizing, which is the process of adding thin layers of zinc to iron or steel to prevent rusting.
The next leading use of zinc is as an alloy; the zinc is combined with copper (to form brass) and with other metals to form materials that are used in automobiles, electrical components, and household fixtures. A third significant use of zinc is in the production of zinc oxide (the most important zinc chemical by production volume), which is used in rubber manufacturing and as a protective skin ointment.
Zinc is also important for health. It is a necessary element for the proper growth and development of humans, animals, and plants.
Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl, coloured green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.
Emeralds, like all coloured gemstones, are graded using four basic parameters: colour, clarity, cut and carat weight. A fine emerald must possess not only a pure verdant green hue, but also a high degree of transparency to be considered a top gemstone.
Emeralds in antiquity were mined in Egypt at locations on Mount Smaragdus since 1500 BCE. Today, Colombia is by far the world’s largest producer of emeralds.
A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red coloured gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable.
The quality of a ruby is determined by its colour, cut, and clarity, which, along with carat weight, affect its value.
Historically, rubies have been mined in Thailand, in Cambodia, as well as in Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, India, Namibia, Japan, and Scotland.
The Republic of North Macedonia is the only country in mainland Europe to have naturally occurring rubies.
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