Cámara Argentina de Empresarios Mineros (CAEM)
Minerals
What minerals does Argentina produce?
METALIFERS
They are those minerals that contain metals. They are divided into basic, ferrous, precious and radioactive. The main ones are: Iron, lead, zinc, copper, molybdenum, lithium, silver and gold.
NON METALLYPHERS
They are those minerals that do not contain metals, such as limestones, sands, shales, clays, common salt, gypsum, potassium and borate salts, fluorite, barite, bentonites, semi-precious stones and many others, used as basic inputs in various industries.
APPLICATION ROCKS
They are used for construction and ornamentation, such as porphyry (paving stones, tiles), flagstones, marbles (pink, white, travertines, onyx, black and others), granites and granulometries.
Minerals
COPPER
Humanity began using minerals around 9,000 BC. This is not surprising because virtually pure copper can occur naturally. There is no real need for a complicated process to extract it. Formerly they had no use for metal as a tool, because pure copper is quite soft and its value was more for its appearance, since it is the only metal other than gold that had a color that was not white or gray. Because it was attractive and easy to shape, it was widely used for decorative items such as rings, earrings, bracelets, and brooches. Around 5,000 BC, the Mesopotamians found the full potential of this metal using copper alloys (mixtures). They popularized the use of bronze (mixed with tin) that marked the beginning of the Bronze Age from 2,500 BC to around 800 BC. Bronze is much harder, and was used for many tools, including weapons. Today, more than 400 copper alloys are in use, including brass, which is when zinc is added to the metal. In 1997, Argentina joined the copper producers club with Bajo de la Alumbrera and other deposits were confirmed, including: San Jorge, Taca Taca, El Altar, Campana Mahuida, Los Azules, El Pachón, Famatina, Josemaría and Agua Rica , among others. The region with the highest known copper resources is the Central Andes (Chile, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia), which contributes about 40% of the copper consumed by the world. Chile with a well defined mining policy, produces 30% and Peru, another mining country, is the third largest producer, with 1.2 million tons / year. Argentina, with a single operating mine, occupies the 14th place, producing concentrate, containing 180,000 tons of fine copper in addition to 600,000 ounces of gold.
IRON
The Iron Age is the last period of prehistoric societies, and is said to have started about 14,000 years ago. Large-scale iron production only started around 2000 BC, but by then it had already replaced bronze as the primary metal of its time. (especially when mixed with carbon) it was simply harder, more durable, and held a sharper edge than the bronze it was replacing. Today, it can be argued that iron is actually more valuable than even gold. It is quite abundant, so it is not terribly expensive. It actually comprises 5.6% of the Earth's crust, and virtually the entire core of the planet is made of this metal. It is not an exaggeration to say that iron is everywhere today because it is an integral component of steel. It can be found inside buildings and in transport vehicles. Find any room in your house and you will find it on many devices. Almost all machines have this metal. In Argentina, the only deposit is Sierra Grande, in the Río Negro province, which is currently undergoing maintenance.
GOLD
Gold. It is such a short and simple word, but in all of history no other metal has captured the attention, imagination and emotion of people around the world as much as gold. At the beginning it was used ornamentally, since it is the easiest metal to work with, being malleable and easy to melt. It is obtained in its pure state, unlike other metals that first need to be extracted from mineralized bodies. Thus it was also highly appreciated because it did not lose its brilliance, and its beauty led humanity to compare it with power, so this particular metal was associated with the gods, with kings and emperors. For thousands of years, since 3,100 BC, it has been used as a currency. It is so rare that in all of human history only 171,000 tons of gold have been mined. In Argentina, the Andean region is characterized by having a variety of rocks and river sediments, where gold is present. In Rinconada was found the largest gold nugget in Argentina that weighed 8 kilos. Currently there are gold deposits in the provinces of Salta, Jujuy, Catamarca, San Juan, Río Negro and Santa Cruz. Among the ancients, silver is second only to gold in beauty, value, and importance. It has been used and valued for thousands of years, and functioned as a currency, ornamentation and material for various implements and tools. The Romans actually adopted the use of silver. Its miners were so efficient that they produced a peak of 200 tons per year, and up to 10,000 tons circulated in their economy in the middle of the 2nd century AD. Today we continue to use this mineral, since modern science has discovered properties beyond its rarity and beauty. Among metals, it is the most ductile and malleable, which means it is the easiest to stretch on very thin wires and hammer on thin sheets. It conducts electricity and heat better than all other elements. It even reflects light very well, and it doesn't react easily to many compounds including water and acids. In Argentina there are important deposits in Jujuy, Catamarca, San Juan, Río Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz.
LITHIUM
For most people in the previous decades, lithium was either a controversial treatment for brain disorders or a Nirvana song. But it is unique because it is the lightest known metal. In the 1790s, a Brazilian naturalist discovered the mineral called petalite on an island in Sweden. This mineral is usually white to off-white in color, but when thrown into fire it turns bright red. Then, in 1817, a chemist in Sweden discovered that the petalite contained a previously unknown element. Although he was able to isolate one of the salts, he did not completely isolate the mineral. However, he named it lithium, which means "stone" in Greek. It was in 1855 when a British and a German chemist were able to completely separate the metal. This discovery led to the commercial production of lithium metal that started in Germany in 1923. Today, more and more people are familiar with lithium-ion batteries, due to the proliferation of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. In Argentina, there are currently two ventures in production, of which around 40,000 tons a year are extracted between the two. They are Olaroz, from Sales de Jujuy, in Jujuy, which produces 17,500 tons, and Salar del Hombre Muerto, from FMC, in Catamarca, from which 22,500 tons are taken. This represents 16% of lithium worldwide.
SILVER
From a chemical point of view, it is one of the heavy metals and from a commercial point of view, it is a precious metal.
It is a rather scarce element, sometimes we find it in nature as a free element (native silver) or mixed with other metals. However, most of the time it is found in minerals that contain silver compounds. Although silver is the most chemically active noble metal, it is not very active compared to most other metals. It is not easily oxidized (like iron), but it reacts with sulfur or hydrogen sulfide to form the well-known tarnished silver. It has a refreshing effect on the body and is an antibacterial agent, especially indicated for the healing of open wounds and burns. It helps when we have eye problems. It stimulates the thyroid gland and helps to lose fluids and balance the body. Formerly it was used in the form of eye drops to disinfect wounds, herpes. In most of its applications, it is used in electrical and electronic contact points. But it is also widely used in jewelry and various parts, it is an essential component in dental amalgams and metals for bearings and pistons of engines.
Everyday uses:
- Medicine. Due to its high toxicity index, it is only applicable in external use. An example is silver nitrate, used to remove warts.
- Electricity. The electric generator contacts of electric diesel rail locomotives have pure silver contacts (approx. 1 in. Thick); And those machines have an electric motor on each wheel or axle. The diesel engine drives the electricity generator, and you must also add the best quality household key or push button contacts that do not use only copper (more economical).
- Electronics, due to its high conductivity, is increasingly used, for example, in the contacts of integrated circuits and computer keyboards.
- In jewelry and silverware to manufacture a wide variety of ornamental and everyday household items, and with a lower degree of purity, in jewelry items.
- In computers, compounds consisting mainly of pure silver are often used to bond the microprocessor board to the heatsink base, and thus cool the processor, due to its heat conductive properties.
ARIDES
Granulated material that is used as a raw material, mainly in construction. It differs from other materials for its chemical stability and mechanical resistance. Mineral substances used as raw materials in industrial processes are not considered as aggregates due to their chemical composition.
Depending on their origin, they can be:
Natural barren: it comes from working in a deposit where it has only been subjected to mechanical processes. As for their shape they are distinguished in rounded (or rolled) and from crushing. The latter presents angular shapes due to the mechanical fracturing necessary to obtain it.
The rocks from which natural aggregates are extracted are:
- Sedimentary calcareous rocks (limestone and dolomite)
- Sand and gravel
- Igneous and metamorphic rocks (granite, basalt and quartzite)
Artificial aggregate: It comes from an industrial process and has undergone some physical-chemical or other modification (such as clay)
Recycled aggregate: it results from the recycling of demolition waste oconstrucciones and debris.
Are used to:
- Manufacture of concrete and mortars
- Fillers
- Piers
- Railroad ballasts
- Road bases and subbases
- Asphalt chipboards firm
LIME
Product obtained by calcining the limestone below the decomposition temperature of calcium oxide. In this state it is called quicklime or calcium oxide and if it is quenched by subjecting it to water treatment, it is called slaked lime (calcium hydroxide).
APPLICATIONS
Industry
- Steelmaking: As a flux and slagging.
- Metallurgy: In the flotation processes; in the smelting of copper, lead and zinc; in magnesium production (two types of manufacturing processes can be used: electrolytic process or thermal reduction process, in the latter quicklime is used); in the production of aluminum; and as a slagging agent for silica, avoiding the formation of aluminum and silica compounds.
- Chemistry: In the production of soap, in the manufacture of rubber and calcium carbide, in the oil industry, in the paper and cosmetic industries.
- Food: In the sugar industry (specifically in the processing of beet sugar); in oyster farming; in fish farming; in the beer industry, in the dairy industry; in the manufacture of glues and jellies, in the treatment of wheat and corn; in the wine industry and in food preservation in “self-heating” food containers , in the nixtamalization of corn which after grinding is used to make tortillas and all derivatives thereof.
- Glass: Its use provides brighter and better colored glasses. The fusion is faster, which means economic savings during the glass manufacturing process.
- Tanning: It is one of its oldest applications. Lime milk baths allow the removal of hairs and swelling of the skins before tanning.
Building
- Infrastructures: In soil stabilization: 12 to dry wet soils, defrost ice cream and improve the properties of clay soils.
- Building: In the manufacture of lime precast: aerated or aerated concrete, silico-limestone bricks and compressed earth blocks.13
- Lime is one more construction product, with its CE14 Marking and its corresponding standardization (UNE EN-459: 1, 2 and 3).
Environmental Protection
- Treatment of drinking water (purification): It is used to soften, purify, eliminate turbidity, neutralize acidity and eliminate silica (partly sand) and other impurities in order to improve the quality of the water consumed by people.
- Wastewater and sludge treatment
Farming
- Amendment: To improve the characteristics of agricultural soils: acidity, porosity and biological activity of the soil.
- Fertilizer: Provides calcium, which is a nutrient for plants.
- Compost (Compost): It is used to obtain compost from agricultural, agro-industrial and urban waste.
- Biocide: To destroy, counteract, neutralize, impede the action or exercise control of any other type, over any harmful organism by chemical or biological means.
Source: https://www.caem.com.ar/minerales/