Ebm Barite and the Minerals It Contains

Barite is an important filler in the paint sector due to its UV and chemical resistance. Natural barite extracted from the earth may contain impurities that cause loss or reduction of these properties. Since barite is the densest mineral, any impurities it contains will necessarily result in density loss. Impurities can lower color values, while white impurities such as calcite or dolomite cause color values to increase. The high-quality crude barite we extract from our mining site in Hüyük, Konya undergoes only water washing and classification (sorting). Due to its status as a natural mineral that has not undergone chemical processing, it is exempt from REACH. The sorted and classified crude barite is micronized at our Aksaray Production Facility, which operates in accordance with ISO 9001, ISO 10002, ISO 14001 and OHAS 18001 certifications. The barite we produce is a white filler that is insoluble in water and chemically inert, with a BaSO4 content of 95.5–97.6%. In addition to barium sulfate, barite may contain the following compounds: 1. Strontium Sulfate, SrSO4, is a mineral with high density, low solubility, and a polymeric white orthorhombic structure. It is found in nature as celestine mineral. It also accompanies barium sulfate in barite minerals. While it is the largest impurity in the barite we extract from the Huyuk mining site, the similarity of its properties to barium sulfate has a positive effect on barite density. It is present in our products at 1.20–2.90%. 2. Silica, SiO2; with its low density and high hardness, is an unwanted mineral in barite that wears down machinery. Silica is present in our products in the range of 0.10% to 1.0%. 3. Iron oxide, Fe2O3; is the largest factor moving barite color away from white. It is present in our products in the range of 0.01% to 0.14%. 4. Calcite; due to fusion, it is reported as CaO in XRF results. An increase in calcite content in barite reduces UV resistance and chemical resistance and increases color values. CaO is present in our products in the range of 0.1% to 0.65%. 5. Alumina, Al2O3; is an amphoteric mineral with high density, white in color, and insoluble in common solvents. It is present in our products in the range of 0.08% to 0.30%. 6. Our products contain trace amounts of MgO, MnO, K2O, Na2O, TiO2, Cs2O. With the chemical content specified above and without any chemical bleaching, the color values we achieve are Brightness Ry 97% and Lightness L* 99, which are quite high for natural barite. Thanks to our barite mine's high tenor and our ability to perform controlled production, we have maintained high quality since 2013 and continue to serve our customers in the powder coatings, industrial paints, decorative paints, epoxy, plastics (PP, PE, engineering plastics), rubber, and radiation shielding wall sectors with confidence. Fırat Çünkioğlu General Manager Efe Barit Madencilik ve Dış Tic. Ltd. Şti. Sources • Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi, Merkezi Araştırma Laboratuvar (NUMERLAB) XRF Analysis Reports. • Aksaray Üniversitesi, Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (ASÜBTAM) WD-XRF Analysis Reports. • Handbook of Fillers, Extenders, and Diluents, Michael Ash, Irene Ash Synapse Info Resources, 2007 • https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13632/annex_v_en.pdf