Deep Green Metals |
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Iron Ore (Fe:) is a metallic element and composes about 5% of the Earth‟s crust. When pure it is a dark, silvery-gray metal. It is a very reactive element and oxidizes (rusts) very easily. The reds, oranges and yellows seen in some soils and on rocks are probably iron oxides. The inner core of the Earth is believed to be a solid iron-nickel alloy. Iron-nickel meteorites are believed to represent the earliest material formed at the beginning of the universe. Studies show that there is considerable iron in the stars and terrestrial planets Mars, the "Red Planet" is red due to the iron oxides in its crust.
The Mineral Magnetite (Fe: 3O4) is a naturally occurring metallic mineral that is occasionally found in sufficient quantities to be an ore of iron. The principles Ores of Iron are Hematite, (70% iron) and Magnetite, (72 % Iron). Taconite is a low-grade iron ore, containing up to 30% Magnetite and Hematite.
Hematite is Iron Oxide (Fe2O3). The amount of Hematite needed in any deposit to make it profitable to Mines must be in the tens of millions of tons. Hematite deposits are mostly sedimentary in Origin, such as the Banded Iron Formations (BIFs). BIFs consist of alternating layers of chart (a variety of the Mineral Quartz), Hematite and Magnetite.
Bauxite is the mineral form of aluminium, and containing about 50 percent alumina. Bauxite is normally found in a layer averaging three to five metres deep, located about half a metre beneath the topsoil. Mined bauxite resembles small red pebbles, called pisolites, averaging about five millimetres in diameter. After a chemical refining process, bauxite ore is transformed into aluminium, and then reduced into primary aluminium.
Bauxite used in to the manufacture of cans, airplanes, sporting and electronic equipment and home appliances. Mixture of Iron and Aluminium Hydroxides/Oxides Al, Fe: O. Bauxite does not require complex processing because most of the bauxite mined is of an acceptable grade or can be improved by a relatively simple and inexpensive process of removing clay.
Manganese ore is produced in huge quantity in India. Rather, it can be said that this country is one of the chief producers of manganese ore in the world. Manganese ore is principally used in the manufacture of Ferro-manganese and steel. Moreover, it is also used in small quantities in paint and glass. In dry cell batteries, manganese dioxide is used. Manganese Ores are widely used as raw material in the Sponge Plant & Steel Industries with the supreme quality with Pyrolusite and Psilomelane Minerals