Fluorite is the main source of fluorine element in industry and one of the more than 20 important non-metallic mineral raw materials in the world. It is widely used in metallurgy, aluminum refining, glass, ceramics, cement, and chemical industries. Pure, colorless, and transparent fluorite can be used as optical materials, while brightly colored fluorite can also be used as gemstones and raw materials for arts and crafts carving. Fluorite is also a basic raw material for the fluorine chemical industry, and examples of fluorine-containing products include aerospace, aviation, refrigeration, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, fire extinguishing, electronics, electricity, and atomic energy. Pure fluorite is colorless and in its pure form, it is composed of 51.1% calcium (Ca) and 48.9% fluorine (F). Fluorite usually contains small amounts of impurity elements, such as rare earth elements (yttrium, cerium, etc.), iron, lead, zinc, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium, etc. These impurities can cause fluorite to exhibit rich colors. Common colors include light green to dark green, blue, green blue, yellow, wine yellow, purple, violet, gray, brown, rose red, deep red, etc.
Fluorite exists in various geological environments, such as sedimentary modified fluorite deposits, hydrothermal filled fluorite deposits, and sedimentary associated fluorite deposits; However, it most commonly appears in the form of vein like fillings in rocks that have undergone hydrothermal activity. These veins typically contain metallic ores, which may include sulfides of tin, silver, zinc, copper, and other metals. Commercial fluorite is classified based on its quality. The grade depends on the content of fluorite and related impurities such as calcite, quartz, barite, sulfur, arsenic, and lead. The levels are as follows:
Acid grade – containing at least 97% fluorite, with the remaining 3% being various impurities
Ceramic grade – containing 85% -96% fluorite, with the remaining 4% -15% being various impurities
Metallurgical grade – containing 60% to 84% fluorite, with the remaining 16% to 40% being various impurities
The grade of fluorite determines its ultimate use. Almost two-thirds of fluorite is acid grade, mainly used for producing hydrofluoric acid (HF), while about one-third of fluorite is metallurgical grade, mainly used as a flux in steelmaking and aluminum production. A small amount of fluorite is of ceramic grade and is used to manufacture special glass, ceramics, and enamel products. HF is a highly corrosive acid that can dissolve glass and many other materials, mainly oxides. Due to its high corrosiveness, it is used in many industries such as chemistry, mining, refining, glass finishing, silicon chip manufacturing, and cleaning. About 60% of global HF production is used for various fluorinated compound applications such as refrigerants, non stick coatings, medical propellants, and aesthetics, while a small amount of HF is used for petroleum alkylation and as an acid wash for metal etching in the electronics industry. In addition, HF is also used for cleaning silicon wafers, etching glass, and polishing and frosted glass production. Fluorite, as an important non-metallic mineral resource, has a wide range of applications in industries, optics, handicrafts, and other fields due to its unique physical and chemical properties. With the development of technology, fluorite has broad application prospects in new energy, new materials and other fields, but its resource protection and sustainable development also face challenges.
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