Baryte

Category                                               Sulphate mineral, baryte group

 Chemical formula                              BaSO₄

Strunz classification                             07.AD.35

Dana classification                               28.03.01.01

Crystal Symmetry                               Orthorhombic (2/m 2/m 2/m) dipyramidal

Color                                                     Colorless, white, light shades of blue, yellow, grey, brown

Crystal Habit                                         Tabular parallel to base, fibrous, nodular to massive

Crystal system                                    Orthorhombic

Cleavage:                                             Perfect cleavage parallel to base and prism faces: {001} Perfect, {210}

Perfect, {010} Imperfect

Fracture                                            Irregular/uneven

Tenacity                                                Brittle

Mohs Scale hardness                        3-3.5

Lustre                                                 Vitreous, pearly

Streak                                               White

Diaphaneity                                        Transparent to opaque

Specific gravity                                  4.3–5

Debnsity                                               4.48 g/cm³

Optical properties                                 biaxial positive

Refractive index                                  n_α = 1.634–1.637
                                                             n_β = 1.636–1.638
                                                              n_γ = 1.646–1.648

Diagnostic features                                white color, high specific gravity, characteristic cleavage and crystals

Solubility                                                          Low

Source: "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baryte&oldid=498407049

Baryte occurs in Benue, Cross- Rivers, Nasarawa, Taraba, Plateau, Gombe and Zamfara states

Barytes occur in the following locations:

• Dareta near Anka, Anka LGA
• Rekebu near Chafe, Chafe (Tsafe) LGA
• Yarkatsina (Gidan Saro), Bungudu LGA
• Tofa forest reserve, Gusau LGA

The mined ore is washed to remove adherent argillaceous impurities. The washed barite and coal are crushed at 80 – 100 meshes and classified. A charge of mixture filled in earthen ware pots and fired in reverberation furnace heated up to 1100 – 1200⁰c.

The resulting black ash (barium sulphate, BaS) obtained after calcining, contains about 80 – 85% Barium, depending on the impurity content of the starting materials. Further impurities are removed by counter – current leaching with hot water and filter to recover the barium sulphide from the reacted mass. The leached solution containing about 17% barium sulphide is pumped into a precipitation tank where it is reacted with sodium sulphate to precipitate barium sulpate.

The white precipitate of barium sulphate formed is filtered, washed, dried, pulverized and packaged.

The market for barite depends on the activities of user industries. Barite has found application in petroleum, chemicals, plastic, glass, ceramics and paints industry.

1. Petroleum Industry: Barite is of great importance in the petroleum industry as a wetting agent in the production of drilling mud. It increases the density of the fluid to counteract formation of pressure.  It also provides density to the bit.
2. Plastic Industry: Barites acts as fillers and white pigment, which increases specific gravity, frictional and chemical resistance of the plastics.
3. Chemical Industry: Barites are used in the production of barium chemicals which have large application in a number of industries.
4. Glass Industry: Barite is used as additive in glass melting to flux the heat insulation froth that foams in melt surface thus saving fuel and additionally acts as an oxidizer and decolourizer. 95 percent of barite is used in glass making.
5. Ceramic Industry: In structural ceramics, barium carbonate serves to bind the soluble SO₄ (barite) to prevent discolouration of bricks and tiles.
6. Paints Industry: Barite impart specific advantages to paints, such as in premiers and anti – corrosive paints. They are also used because of the density, brightness, low abrasivity, inertness and resistance to weathering.

Baryte occurs in Cross River, Nassarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Benue, Gombe, Zamfara and Adamawa States. Estimated demand for baryte in Nigeria is in excess of 255,000 metric tonnes per annum. Multinationals in the upstream oil sector and chemical products companies.are the major consumers of baryte in Nigeria.

The few processing plants in the country produce a little above 40,000 metric tonnes per annum creating a wide supply gap currently bridged by massive importation of this very essential commodity.

There is therefore enormous investment opportunities in large-scale investments in baryte mining, processing and marketing.