Indian Minerals Yearbook 2011 (Part- II) 50
Transcription
Indian Minerals Yearbook 2011 (Part- II) 50
Indian Minerals Yearbook 2011 (Part- II) 50th Edition QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS (ADVANCE RELEASE) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines, NAGPUR – 440 102 PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471 PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648 E-MAIL : cme@ibm.gov.in Website: www.ibm.gov.in October 2012 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS 66 Quartz & Other Silica Minerals T he term 'quartz' is often referred to as a synonym for silica. Silica (SiO2) is one of the ubiquitous materials in the earth's crust. Quartz, quartz crystals, quartzite, silica sand, sand (others) and moulding sand are all coined together in one generic name 'silica minerals'. This is because all these commodities are essentially crystalline silicon dioxide (SiO2) with variations mostly related to their crystalline structure and presence of minor or trace impurities. Silica occurs in several forms giving rise to different varieties. Crystalline Varieties The important varieties of crystalline quartz are vein quartz (massive crystalline quartz); milky quartz (white, translucent to opaque); ferruginous quartz (containing brown limonite and red haematite and almost opaque); aventurine quartz (containing glistening flakes of mica or haematite); cat's eye (opalescent greenish quartz with fibrous structure); rock crystal (clear, colourless, well-crystallised transparent quartz); amethyst (clear-purple or violet-blue), transparent quartz; rose quartz; smoky quartz; etc. Occurrences of massive crystalline quartz in veins or pegmatites have been recorded in almost all the states. Clastic or Granular Varieties These varieties include sand consisting largely of unconsolidated quartzose grains (0.06 mm to 2 mm diameter), gravel consisting of largely unconsolidated coarse quartzose grains or pebbles (2 mm to 8 mm in diameter), sandstone and quartzite. The occurrences are reported from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, etc. The silica sand from Naini area in Allahabad district, Uttar Pradesh is of a very high quality. Cryptocrystalline Varieties This group includes chalcedony, agate, jasper, onyx, flint and chert. These varieties appear noncrystalline (amorphous) in hand specimens, but under microscope show double refraction which reveals their concealed crystalline nature. These varieties are reported from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab. The most important occurrences of agate are in Ratnapur, Rajpipla area and further west between Tapi and Narmada rivers in Bharuch district, Gujarat, where it is found as pebbles in varying sizes associated with clay washed down by the river flow. Other occurrences of economic importance are reported from Amravati, Aurangabad, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Nashik and Pune districts in Maharashtra; beds of Krishna and Godavari rivers in Andhra Pradesh; Dumka district in Jharkhand; Dhar, Mandsaur, Sihore and Shahdol districts in Madhya Pradesh; and Kachchh district in Gujarat. RESOURCES As per the UNFC system as on 1.4.2010 , the total resources of quartz and silica sand in the country are estimated at 3,499 million tonnes out of which 12% i.e. 429 million tonnes are placed under reserves category while 88% i.e. 3,070 million tonnes are placed under remaining resources category. Resources by grades reflect foundry & moulding grade as 19%, glass grade 14%, ceramic & pottery grade 11% and ferro-silicon grade as 5%. The unclassified, others, sodium silicate and not-known grades account for about 51% of the total resources. Haryana alone accounts for about 52% resources, followed by Rajasthan (9.5%), Tamil Nadu (6.5%), Anadhra Pradesh (6%), Maharashtra (5%), Jharkhand (4.5%) and Karnataka and Gujarat (3% each) (Table - 1). The total resources of quartzite in the country as per the UNFC system as on 1.4.2010(Provisional) are estimated as 1,251 million tonnes of which reserves are about 87 million tonnes and remaining resources are 1,165 million tonnes . Bulk resources of about 50% are located in Haryana followed by Bihar (22%), Maharashtra (7%), Punjab (6.5%), Odisha (5%) and Jharkhand (3%). Resources of refractory grade are 37%, ceramic & pottery grade 18% and BF grade 5%. The remaining 40% resources are of low, unclassified, others and notknown grades (Table - 2). EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT Exploration for quartz and silica minerals was conducted by DMG, Rajasthan and DMM, West Bangal. Details of exploration carried out for quartz and other silica minerals during 2010-11 are given in Table - 3. 66-2 Table – 1 : Reserves/Resources of Quartz & Silica Sand as on 1.04.2010 (By Grades/States) (In ’000 tonnes) Reserves Grade/State Proved STD111 66-3 By States Andhra Pradesh Assam Bihar Chhattisgarh Goa Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Meghalaya Odisha Punjab Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Tripura Uttar Pradesh West Bengal Figures rounded off. 33,590 141 16,042 1 563 8,677 144 12,356 438 132,135 60,063 8,042 779 STD121 STD122 Total (A) Feasibility STD211 Pre-feasibility STD221 Measurred STD222 STD331 Indicated STD332 Interred Reconnsaissance Total STD333 STD334 (B) 35,079 121,173 429,223 185,399 322,454 321,760 58,683 259,116 1,907,994 14,402 15,139 96 38 1,554 15,999 7 116 353 1,778 40,524 6,479 1,594 32,111 20,891 13 11,398 2,828 5,333 158,792 11,464 3,254 130,411 83,175 2,425 22,358 7,781 9,564 46,785 9,022 533 12,935 58,339 38,280 11,869 7,634 23,815 16,023 1,490 23,781 36,249 249 62,210 154,593 4,045 51,528 20,409 5,143 59,764 116,140 1,861 14,649 33,209 19,058 2,176 98 7,328 16,984 116 31,982 - 8,707 65,126 146 12,826 38,301 10 25 39,669 94,307 175,356 57,175 31,245 148,729 302,462 3,508 862,023 190,442 137,053 5,922 11 7,672 220 17 560 3,320 684 46 4 3,809 38 11 2,085 69 10,472 9 14,530 - 35,772 2,121 46 19,256 8,317 7 8,671 2,375 14 10,884 860 27,757 93 3,977 1,022 72,683 2,121 187 35,982 8,363 8 9,238 14,861 38 169 25,326 1,367 170,364 60,166 26,549 1,801 16,664 385 17,133 35,553 99 2 12,402 404 51 29,372 1,161 40,583 29,644 1,946 - 6,242 20 5,110 252,759 989 4,970 1,959 15,172 1,503 13,344 4,892 15,482 11 25,109 620 1,736 11,774 182,478 3,299 8,276 3,354 86 48,391 2,599 23,433 7,523 3,071 11 5,404 56 2,144 27,837 518 205 14,611 47 90 3,202 3,387 225 957 - 10,965 2,999 39,767 1,026 100 30,241 316 355 177 63,385 7,658 95,837 6,290 - 65,867 1,790 24,652 191 18,248 25,629 1,264,473 2,928 3,110 141,342 49,508 77,528 2,191 58,374 6,906 3,836 3,927 73,883 27,150 264 51,590 4,607 6,099 7,672 107 525 - Total resources (A+B) 3,069,808 3,499,031 314,289 167,853 38,568 265,362 576,148 5,628 977,523 461,781 262,657 473,082 179,317 41,822 395,773 659,323 8,053 999,881 469,562 272,220 136,349 209,031 1,790 1,790 24,652 26,773 8,924 9,111 20,004 20,004 64,789 100,771 1,802,868 1,811,231 3,027 3,035 3,110 3,110 147,283 156,521 75,987 90,848 128,096 128,135 2,692 2,861 151,663 176,989 7,083 7,083 72,573 73,940 3,927 3,927 162,104 332,468 168,432 228,598 490 490 79,337 105,886 4,629 6,430 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS All India: Total 272,972 By Grades Glass 103,129 Ferro-silicon 4,889 Sodium silicate 1,622 Ceramic and Pottery 96,746 Foundry and Moulding 46,285 Abrassive 2,405 Others 10,844 Unclassified 4,600 Not-known 2,453 Probable Remaining resources Table – 2 : Reserves/Resources of Quartzite as on 1.4.2010 (By Grades/States) (In '000 tonnes) Grade/State Reserves Proved STD111 Remaining resources Probable Total (A) Feasibility STD211 Pre-feasibility STD122 59004 1647 25948 86599 33217 105018 147686 Refractory Grade-I 52958 268 21894 75120 4549 626 11470 Refractory Grade-II 1520 406 485 2411 146 461 - Ceramic / Pottery 558 9 1015 1582 16195 35826 72771 Low 985 - 1000 1985 468 3863 - - - - 169 242 - 1258 1500 - Ferro-silicon B.F. Others Indicated STD332 Inferred STD333 Reconnaissance STD334 Total (B) Total resources (A+B) STD222 93116 113611 669453 2548 1164649 1251248 829 1067 239474 1730 259745 334865 3183 21490 97836 - 123116 125527 - 3599 90702 - 219093 220675 18 37 - 8460 - 12846 14831 692 3034 - 376 - 523 4794 4794 606 809 197 275 62822 295 65004 66504 66-4 1079 907 210 2196 9488 757 2025 588 - 3012 - 15870 18066 Unclassified 163 - 86 249 2203 55769 55479 67347 55674 133095 - 369567 369816 Not-known 1500 58 - 1558 - 6418 2080 20935 31130 34053 - 94616 96174 2114 406 2131 4651 548 1009 7481 - 4390 5209 295 18932 23583 - - - - - - - - - 5270 - 5270 5270 276333 By States Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Bihar Chhattisgarh Haryana Himachal Pradesh - 32 - 32 146 461 20054 5287 22822 227531 - 276301 1404 - 1267 2671 3086 3926 2195 - - 14706 - 23913 26584 - - - - 15702 89742 112365 86951 85333 231887 - 621980 621980 25 - 16 41 16 - - - - - - 16 57 Jammu & Kashmir 1500 58 - 1558 - - - - - - - - 1558 Jharkhand 1079 - 174 1253 - - - 197 275 38869 - 39341 40594 Karnataka 390 - 1011 1401 - - 190 - - - 1730 1920 3321 - - - - - - - - - 832 - 832 832 48700 - 19480 68180 9516 28 1639 - - 11353 - 22536 90716 Odisha 3629 1151 1783 6563 4204 9834 3744 681 - 34851 523 53837 60400 Punjab - - - - - - - - 116 81796 - 81912 81912 163 - 86 249 - 18 18 - - 706 - 742 991 - - - - - - - - 675 16444 - 17119 17119 Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Rajasthan Sikkim Figures rounded off. QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS STD121 All India : Total By Grades STD221 Measured STD331 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 3 : Details of Exploration Activities for Quartz & Quartzite, 2010-11 Agency/ State/ District QUARTZ DMM, West Bangal Bankura Location Area/ Block Mapping Scale Drilling Area No. of (sq km) boreholes Meterage Sampling (No.) Remarks Reserves/Resources estimated Kendua dihi, P S Ganga Jalghatti 1:4545 0.5 - - 08 Two trenches dugged. Inclusion of minor quartz veins were noticed. Resources were not estimated. DMG Rajasthan To n k N/v Tirodi, Mandolai etc. Tq - Todarai Singh 1:50000 1:10000 1:2000 115 11.5 1.15 - - - Garnetiferrous mica schist of light grey to brownish grey, highly foliated comprising of quartz were located N/v Tordi. Rajsamand N/v Tikhi Tq - Deogarh 1:10000 20 - - 17 Pegmatite bands were identified which is potential for mineral quartz. Jiajury Quartzite Block Phase II - - 9 655 - Thickness of friable quartzite vary from 40 to 60 m with 85 to 90% SiO2 . Estimated 320.53 million tonnes of quartzite resources under measured category with Av. grade of 88.42% SiO 2 , 0.93% Fe 2 O 3 , 5.12 % Al2O3, 0.13% CaO and 0.11% of MgO. QUARTZITE MECL Assam Nagaon PRODUCTION, STOCK & PRICES QUARTZ The production of quartz at 457 thousand tonnes in 2010-11 decreased by 13% due to non availability of enviormental clearance to some mines. There were 87 reporting mines in 2010-11 as against 92 in preceding year. Besides, the production of quartz was also reported from 46 mines as an associated mineral as against 49 mines in preceding year. The share of public sector mines, in the total output was about 2% d u r i n g t h e y e a r. T h e s h a r e o f 1 0 p r i n c i p a l producers was about 61% of the total output. Andhra Pradesh continued to be the major producing state of quartz in the year 2010-11 also accounting for 43% of the total production followed by Rajasthan 25%, Jharkhand 16% Gujarat 8%, West Bengal 3%, Maharashtra 2%, and the remaining 3% production was contributed by Chhasttisgarh, Karnataka, Odisha and TamilNadu. About 56% of the production during the year 2010-11 was reported by nine mines including 3 associated mines having production above ten thousand tonnes. Seventeen mines including three associated mines having annual production between five thousand to ten thousand tonnes contributed about 25% of the total production.The remaining was the contribution of 107 mines including 40 associated mines having annual production below five thousand tonnes (Tables - 4 to 7). The mine-head stocks of quartz at the end of the year were 335 thousand tonnes as against 247 thousand tonnes in the beginning of the year (Table - 8). The average daily labour employed in quartz mines in 2010-11 was 972 as against 751 in the previous year. Domestic prices of quartz are furnished in the General Review on 'Prices'. 66-5 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table - 4 (Concld.) Table – 4 : Principal Producers of Quartz 2010-11 Name & address of producer Name & address of producer Location of mine State Shri Ram Minerals Industries, C/o Goyar Enterprises, Bagda Bhawan, Opposite Jyoti Petrol Pump, Road No. 1, Vishwakarma Industrial Area, Jaipur - 302 013, Rajasthan. Rajasthan Shri Vijaya Gimpex Mining Pvt. Ltd., Shriram Chamber Kamalapuri Colony , Phase III Hyderabad-500 073, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh *Dolphin Feldspar Pvt. Ltd, Kot's court, 4 th Floor, 6-3-1239/2/A, Raj Bhawan Rd., Somajiguda, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh *Sandeep Kumar M/s Vishwa Karma Minerals, Chandwa, Dist. - Latehar, Jharkhand. Jharkhand Mh. Mahmood Alam, At - Itkey, P.O.- Barikhap Dist. - Latehar Jharkhand. Jharkhand Location of mine State District To n k MahaboobNagar MahaboobNagar Latehar Latehar (Conctd.) District Dilipsingh P.Solanki, C/O Latesh H. Pandye, Pattha Talawadi, Near Hanuman Mandir , Godhra-389 001, Gujarat. Gujarat PanchaMahal V. B. C. Woods Distillation Pvt. Ltd, III Floor, Progressive Towers Kheiratabad, Hyderabad- 500 004, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Medak P. V. Ramana Reddy, Chella Chelimala, P.O.-Dhone Dist. - Kurnool Andhara Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Kurnool Anandraj Singh, (Raj Minerals) 8-4-316, Sanath Nagar, Hyderabad-500 018, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Medak B. Sanjeeva Reddy, H.No. 6-200, Rly. Station Rd., Betamcherla-518 599 Dist. - Kurnool Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Kurnool * Associated mines with felspar. Table – 5 : Production of Quartz, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (By States) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11(P) State Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value 430734 75564 528066 95759 456829 82331 139837 22138 182040 29642 197653 31873 1846 258 384 54 655 92 Gujarat 77400 8031 85343 8764 36837 4782 Jharkhand 39434 5607 68331 13420 72413 7034 Karnataka 17500 1289 275 108 10 3 - - - - 1889 155 15989 3619 12650 2761 10144 2252 India Andhra Pradesh Chhattisgarh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Odisha 1500 375 1570 257 - - 120512 23769 154698 29471 114703 22857 Tamil Nadu 10589 9324 6952 7898 7542 9898 West Bengal 6127 1154 15823 3384 14983 3385 Rajasthan 66-6 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 6 : Production of Quartz, 2009-10 & 2010-11 (By Sectors/States/Districts) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2009-10 2010-11(P) State/District No. of mines Quantity Value No. of mines Quantity Value 92(49) 528066 95759 87(46) 456829 82331 2 5191 6823 2(1) 9375 9439 90(49) 522875 88936 85(45) 447454 72892 2 6 ( 11 ) 182040 29642 31(14) 197653 31873 Anantapur 2 15 2 2 65 10 Khammam 1 451 68 2 48 7 Krishna 2 445 67 2 193 29 Kurnool 2 1695 236 4 25333 2661 7(5) 105218 17657 7(6) 103125 17117 Medak 4 40978 6259 4 27250 4689 Nalgonda 1 2600 481 1 2383 441 3(6) 7146 1353 2(8) 17200 3320 Ranga Reddy 1 8 1 3 5134 810 Visakhapatnam 1 8579 1716 1 7199 1354 Vizianagaram 2 14905 1802 3 9723 1435 1 384 54 1 655 92 1 384 54 1 655 92 7 85343 8764 5 36837 4782 7 85343 8764 5 36837 4782 9(3) 68331 13420 9(3) 72413 7034 Deoghar 1 1590 223 1 1925 221 Dumka 1 7527 941 1 5807 900 Hazaribagh (1) 1174 229 (1) 785 124 Jamtara (1) 5126 589 (1) 6370 764 Latehar 4(1) 18218 1944 4(1) 51793 4022 Ranchi 1 30 4 1 * * Saraikala-Kharsawan 1 20136 6947 1 * * Singhbhum (East) 1 14530 2543 1 5733 1003 (1) 275 108 (1) 10 3 (1) 275 108 (1) 10 3 - - - 2(1) 1889 155 Balaghat - - - 1(1) 1559 124 Chhatarpur - - - 1 330 31 India Public sector Private sector Andhra Pradesh Mahaboobnagar Nellore Chhattisgarh Jashpur Gujarat Panchamahal Jharkhand Karnataka Bengaluru Madhya Pradesh (Conctd.) 66-7 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table - 6 (Concld.) 2009-10 2010-11(P) State/District No. of mines Quantity Value No. of mines Quantity Value Maharashtra 4 12650 2761 4 10144 2252 Bhandara 3 12552 2749 3 10008 2233 Chandrapur 1 98 12 1 136 19 1(1) 1570 257 - - - 1(1) 1570 257 - - - 33(33) 154698 29471 22(26) 11 4 7 0 3 22857 Ajmer 8(9) 24823 4218 7(12) 18230 3476 Alwar 1 260 52 1 110 22 3(19) 11055 1430 1(13) 4492 630 2 359 90 2 166 42 4(5) 9962 1849 2(1) 2172 198 Sikar 4 4718 743 1 930 233 Sirohi 2 4090 614 2 1396 227 Jaipur 1 7853 1178 1 5545 832 Pali 1 350 140 - - - To n k 6 90213 18980 4 81662 17197 Udaipur 1 1015 177 1 * * Tamil Nadu 8 6952 7898 10(1) 7542 9898 Coimbatore 1 1092 218 - - - Dharmapuri 1 230 173 - - - Dindigul 2 632 568 3 141 39 Karur 1 1055 211 1 448 90 Madurai 2 469 301 2 2830 1615 Nammakal 1 3474 6427 1 3455 6981 Salem - - - 3 * * Tiruvarur - - - (1) 668 1173 We s t B e n g a l 3 15823 3384 3 14983 3385 Bankura 1 13305 2795 1 8650 1687 Birbhum 1 1076 301 1 1091 417 Purulia 1 1442 288 1 5242 1281 Odisha Sundergarh Rajasthan Bhilwara Chittorgarh Rajsamand Figures in parentheses indicate number of associated mines of quartz with felspar, mica, silica sand and asbestos. * Reported labour and/or production of felspar. 66-8 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 7 : Production of Quartz, 2009-10 & 2010-11(P) (By Frequency Groups) (Qty in tonnes) No. of mines Production for the group Production group Percentage in total production Cumulative percentage 2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11 92 (49) 87 (46) 528066 456829 100.00 100.00 - - Up to 500 34 (23) 40 (22) 9552 6426 1.81 1.41 1.81 1.41 501-1000 9 (10) 6 (7) 14220 9656 2.69 2.11 4.50 3.52 1001-5000 29 (12) 21(11) 85862 72480 16.26 15.86 20.76 19.38 10(2) 14( 3) 93162 113549 17.64 24.86 38.40 44.24 10 (2) 6(3) 325270 254718 61.60 55.76 100.00 100.00 All Groups 5001-10000 10001 & above Figures in parentheses indicate number of associated mines of quartz, felspar, mica, silica sand and asbestos. Table – 8 : Mine-head Stocks of Quartz 2010-11(P) (By States) (In tonnes) State At the beginning of the year At the end of the year India 246785 335347 146018 203375 - 114 Gujarat 3948 3979 Jharkhand 2384 3584 Karnataka 11947 13812 170 9347 5786 2629 584 945 75431 94660 Tamil Nadu 40 2605 West Bengal 477 297 Andhra Pradesh Chhattisgarh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Odisha Rajasthan year. Besides, the production of silica sand was also reported as an associated mineral by four mines during the year. Ten principal producers accounted for about 62% of the total production. The share of public sector in the total production was 4% in 2010-11, same as in the preceding year. Gujarat was the leading producing state and accounted for 39% of the total production during the year, followed by Andhra Pradesh(37%), Maharashtra (9%), Rajasthan(6%), Uttar Pradesh (4%), Jharkhand (3%) and Karnataka (1%). The remaining one percent production was the contribution of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. About 60% production of silica sand was contributed by 9 silica sand mines and one associated mine, each producing more than 50 thousand tonnes annually. About 37% was contributed by 50 silica sand mines and two associated mines, each producing five thousand to fifty thousand tonnes. The remaining 3% output was contributed by 55 silica sand mines and one associated mine, each producing less than 5,000 tonnes annually (Tables 9 to 12). SILICA SAND The production of silica sand at 3.08 million tonnes in 2010-11 increased by about 21% over the previous year due to increase in demand from cement plants.Gujarat, the major producing state, reported increase of about 160% in comparison with the previous year. During the year under review, there were 114 reporting mines as against 132 in the preceding Mine-head stocks of silica sand at the end of 2010-11 were 4,996 thousand tonnes as against of 3,260 thousand tonnes at the beginning of the year (Table 13). The average daily employment of labour in 2010-11 was 1,938 as against 2,392 in the previous year. Domestic prices of silica sand are furnished in the General Review on 'Prices'. 66-9 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 9 : Principal Producers of Silica Sand 2010-11 Name & address of producer Location of mine State N. G. Mahida At & P.O. -Bhilod-393 135, Dist. Bharuch Gujarat. Bharuch Kumaraswamy Silica Mines, Momidi P.O., Chillakur - Mandal, Distt. Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Nellore Sanghi Industries Ltd, Post - Sanghipuram Dist. Kachchh, Gujarat-370 511. Gujarat Kachchh Bhavani Minerals At &P.O. - Bhilod-393 135 Tehsil - Valia, Dist. Bharuch, Gujarat. Gujarat Bharuch D. Sundra Rami Reddy P.O.-Chinthavaram Dist. Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Nellore Name & address of producer Location of mine State District Gujarat Table - 9 (Concld.) District Bundi Silica Sand Supply Co. Kanhaiyalal Ghatiwala, Rishabh Bhavan, New Colony Gumanpura, Dist. Kota - 324 007, Rajasthan. Rajasthan Bundi Nishita Mines & Minerals 6/160, East Street, Gudur, Dist. Nellore Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh Nellore Y. Janaki Rama Reddy Village and Post -Varagali Mandal:-Chillakur, Dist. Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Nellore Mohd. Sher Khan Pathan S/o Gulbaz Khan Vill- Banesti P.O. - Sawa, Dist. Chittorgarh Rajasthan. Rajasthan Chittorgarh Southern Silica Mines 7/105, Mitta Palem Street Gudur, Dist. Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Nellore (Conctd.) Table - 10 : Production of Silica Sand, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (By States) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11(P) State Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value 2836804 366083 2545988 408559 3081468 342351 1251780 61684 958934 64205 1132270 61541 Gujarat 368720 32025 465530 40569 1210046 80626 Jharkhand 120170 38772 91597 32818 85236 29275 Karnataka 107266 12961 109468 15206 39272 4900 46965 17112 33988 20220 14215 10993 40 5 - - - - 341866 92503 271517 90831 264191 69427 7381 1845 2800 700 - - 398540 82051 418311 103878 194073 57274 12009 3396 10476 5688 12526 5211 182067 23729 183367 34444 129639 23104 India Andhra Pradesh Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Odisha Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh 66-10 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 11 : Production of Silica Sand, 2009-10 and 2010-11 (By Sectors/States/Districts) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2009-10 2010-11(P) State/District No. of mines India Public sector Private sector Quantity Value No. of mines Quantity Value 132(4) 5 127(4) 2545988 106925 2439063 408559 29883 378676 11 4 ( 4 ) 7 107(4) 3081468 129169 2952299 342351 34316 308035 Andhra Pradesh Kurnool Nellore Prakasam 50 5 44 1 958934 3477 948459 6998 64205 673 62972 560 42(1) 3 39(1) - 11 3 2 2 7 0 2652 1129618 - 61541 423 61118 - Gujarat Bharuch Kachchh Sabarkantha Surat Surendranagar 14(1) 9(1) 1 1 1 2 465530 406026 29615 5651 30 24208 40569 36777 360 1837 4 1591 16(1) 12(1) 1 1 1 1 1210046 992039 194677 4095 105 19130 80626 72393 5815 1353 13 1052 1(1) 1(1) 91597 91597 32818 32818 1(1) 1(1) 85236 85236 29275 29275 20 3 4 8 5 109468 13250 24760 44540 26918 15206 1193 2823 8778 2412 15 4 7 4 39272 3567 18250 17455 4900 393 2792 1715 Kerala Alappuzha 7 7 33988 33988 20220 20220 6 6 14215 14215 10993 10993 Maharashtra Ratnagiri Sindhudurg 15 6 9 271517 11791 259726 90831 3479 87352 13 5 8 264191 27196 236995 69427 5823 63604 Odisha Sundergarh 1 1 2800 2800 700 700 - - - 9(2) 1 4 1 1(1) 1 (1) 1 - 4 1 8 3 11 6088 108025 79977 139591 17764 4030 62836 - 103878 974 16478 39909 36852 3535 790 5340 - 7(1) 1 2 1 1(1) 1 1 194073 6023 4960 99235 76220 2645 4990 57274 829 843 34732 18960 662 1248 4 2 2 10476 3254 7222 5688 3351 2337 6 3 3 12526 3459 9067 5 2 11 3253 1958 11 9 2 183367 177266 6101 34444 33278 1166 8 6 2 129639 122390 7249 23104 22260 844 Jharkhand Sahibganj Karnataka Gulbarga Haveri Udupi Uttar Kannad Rajasthan Alwar Bharatpur Bundi Chittorgarh Dausa Bikaner Sikar Karauli Sawai Madhopur Tamil Nadu Kanchipuram Villupuram Uttar Pradesh Allahabad Chitrakut Figures in parentheses indicate number of associated mines with agate, kaolin & quartz. 66-11 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 12 : Production of Silica Sand, 2009-10 & 2010-11 (P) (By Frequency Groups) (Qty in tonnes) No. of mines Production for the group Production group Percentage in total production Cumulative percentage 2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11 132(4) 11 4 ( 4 ) 2545988 3081468 100.00 100.00 - - 9 18(1) 2165 3223 0.09 0.11 0.09 0.11 All Groups Up to 500 501 to 1000 5 6 3743 4826 0.15 0.16 0.24 0.27 1001 to 3000 26 21 53511 38511 2.10 1.25 2.34 1.52 3001 to 5000 18(1) 10 71732 40712 2.82 1.32 5.16 2.84 5001 to 10000 3 2 ( 1 ) 14 234386 95634 9.20 3.10 14.36 5.94 10001 to 15000 9 5 110051 61185 4.32 1.99 18.68 7.93 15001 to 25000 12 11 234753 200972 9.22 6.52 27.90 14.45 9 20(2) 324262 777906 12.74 25.24 40.64 39.69 50001 and Above 1 2 ( 2 ) 9(1) 1511385 1858499 59.36 60.31 100 .00 100.00 25001 to 50000 Table – 13 : Mine-head Stocks of Silica Sand 2010-11 (P) (By States) (In tonnes) State India Andhra Pradesh Gujarat At the beginning of the year At the end of the year 3260050 4995834 2284966 2245585 358318 2202484 Jharkhand 17993 22777 Karnataka 64343 59044 Kerala 27365 9744 242234 187495 570 570 185882 184006 158 46 78221 84083 Maharashtra Odisha Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh There were 12 reporting mines during the y e a r a n d 1 4 i n t h e p r e v i o u s y e a r. B e s i d e s , production of quartzite was reported by one associated mine in the current year and 4 associated mines in the preceding year. During 2010-11, five principal producers accounted for about 84% production. Entire output of quartzite was reported from mines operated in the private sector. Bihar was the leading producing state in 2010-11 contributing about 54% production, followed by Jharkhand (21%), Karnataka (9%), AndhraPradesh (6%), Odisha & Rajasthan (4% each) and Maharashtra (2%) (Tables-14 to 16). Mine-head stocks of quartzite at the end of the year 2010-11 were 24 thousand tonnes as against 38 thousand tonnes at the beginning of the year. (Table-17). QUARTZITE Production of quartzite at 118 thousand tonnes in 2010-11 increased by 5% as compared to that in the previous year . The average daily employment of labour during the year under review was 183 as against 285 in 2009-10. Domestic prices of quartzite are furnished in the General Review on Prices'. 66-12 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 14: Principal Producers of Quartzite, 2010-11 Location of mine Name & address of producer State District Khalsa Stone Works, Albert Road, Jamalpur, Munger, Bihar. Bihar Munger Bharat Mining Company, Post - Sunder Nagar, Dist. Singhbhum East Jharkhand. Jharkhand SinghbhumEast Janardan Singh At:-Shitalpur, P.O. -Dariyapur, Dist. Munger, Bihar. Bihar Munger Shivanandi.Mamadapur Vill. -Saundatti, Ditt. Belgaum, Karnataka-591 126. Karnataka Belgaum Sunrise Stone Works At - Sujawalpur, P.O. - Shankarpur Dist. Munger, Bihar. Bihar Munger Table – 15 : Production of Quartzite, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (By States) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11(P) State Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value 97458 31459 11 2 6 5 2 37377 11 8 1 7 9 35422 595 89 122 18 7717 4309 33760 13027 56394 20855 63350 19785 50 8 50 8 - - Jharkhand 2014 201 10737 2147 24658 5242 Karnataka 5500 1513 7437 2054 11200 2667 Maharashtra 1054 264 2481 620 2455 614 47451 13149 29886 11093 4608 2354 7034 3208 5545 582 4191 451 India Andhra Pradesh Bihar Chhattisgarh Odisha Rajasthan 66-13 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 16 : Production of Quartzite, 2009-10 & 2010-11 (By Sectors/States/Districts) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2009-10 2010-11(P) State/District No. of mines India Private sector Andhra Pradesh Cuddaph Srikakulam Vizianagaram Bihar Munger Quantity Value 14(4) 14(4) 2 2 3 3 11 2 6 5 2 112652 122 122 56394 56394 37377 37377 18 18 20855 20855 1 1 1 1 2 2 50 50 10737 10737 7437 7437 (1) (1) 4(3) 2 (2) 1 1 (1) 1 1 2481 2481 29886 23692 1336 2581 477 1800 5545 5545 Chhattisgarh Rajnandgaon Jharkhand Singhbhum (East) Karnataka Belgaum Maharashtra Bhandara Odisha Jharsuguda Keonjhar Mayurbhanj Sonepur Sundergarh Rajasthan Sawai Madhopur No. of mines Quantity Value 12(1) 12(1) 4 2 1 1 3 3 11 8 1 7 9 118179 7717 83 2218 5416 63350 63350 35422 35422 4309 12 1318 2979 19785 19785 8 8 2147 2147 2054 2054 1 1 1 1 24658 24658 11 2 0 0 11200 5242 5242 2667 2667 620 620 11 0 9 3 9965 200 253 63 612 582 582 (1) (1) 2 1 1 1 1 2455 2455 4608 4590 18 4191 4191 614 614 2354 2352 2 451 451 Figures in parentheses indicate associated mines of pyrophyllite and quartz. Table – 17: Mine-head Stocks of Quartzite 2010-11 (P) (By States) SAND (OTHERS) (In tonnes) State At the beginning of the year At the end of the year India 38342 23697 Andhra Pradesh 4372 10189 Bihar 9325 4239 555 - Jharkhand 1918 1822 Karnataka 1687 2100 490 199 19995 5148 5712 4478 Chhattisgarh Maharashtra Odisha Rajasthan The production of sand (others) at 1.92 million tonnes in 2010-11decreased by 11% as compared to that in the previous year due to lower demand. There were thirteen reporting mines in 2010-11 as against twelve in the previous year. The Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd, having ten mines in Andhra Pradesh contributed 87% production of sand (others). Twelve percent production was from three mines of Western Coalfields Ltd located in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. The remaining one percent was reported as an associated mineral by a private sector limestone mine located in Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya (Tables - 18 to 20). All mines were captive in nature and contract labour was employed by the producers. Mine-head stocks at the end of 2010-11 was 263 thousand tonnes as against 318 thousand tonnes at the beginning of the year (Table - 21). 66-14 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 18 : Producers of Sand (Others), 2010-11 Location of mine Name & address of producer State District Singareni Collieries Co.Ltd, P.O. Kothagudam Collieries, Bhadrachalam Road,Station, S. C. Railway, Dist.- Khammam-507 101, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Adilabad Karimnagar Western Coalfields Ltd, Sasti Colliery, P.O. - Sasti, Dist. Chandrapur, Maharashtra. Maharashtra Chandrapur Cement Manufacturing Company Ltd, Lumshnong, P.O. - Khliehriat, Dist-Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya-793 200. Meghalaya Jaintia Hills Table –19 : Production of Sand (Others), 2008-09 to 2010-11 ((By States) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11(P) State India Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra Meghalaya Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value 1808185 106971 2159405 101399 1916366 103969 1338315 55406 1763495 75083 1673137 90600 469870 51565 395910 26316 233009 11734 - - - - 10220 1635 Table – 20 : Production of Sand (Others), 2009-10 & 2010-11 (By Sectors/States/Districts) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2009-10 2010-11(P) State/District No. of mines India Quantity Value No. of mines 12 2159405 101399 12 2159405 - - Andhra Pradesh 10 Adilabad 4 Karimnagar Vijaynagaram Public sector Private sector Maharashtra Chandrapur Meghalaya Jaintia Hills Quantity Value 13(1) 1916366 103969 101399 13 1906146 102334 - (1) 10220 1635 1763495 75083 10 1673137 90600 616903 28609 4 736668 45855 5 1135693 45928 6 936469 44745 1 10899 546 - - - 2 395910 26316 3 233009 11 7 3 4 2 395910 26316 3 233009 11734 - - - (1) 10220 1635 - - - (1) 10220 1635 66-15 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 21: Mine-head Stocks of Sand (Others), 2010-11 (P) (By States) (In tonnes) State At the beginning of the year India At the end of the year 317948 262849 Andhra Pradesh 199320 168300 Maharashtra 118628 94549 AGATE The production of agate was 19 tonnes in 2010-11 as compared to 11 tonnes during the preceding year. There was only a single private sector mine of agate which was situated in Bharuch district of Gujarat (Tables - 22 to 24). Mine-head stocks of agate at the end of 2010-11 was 25 tonnes as against 57 tonnes at the beginning of the year (Table -25). The average daily employment of labour was 11 in 2010-11 as against 3 in the previous year. Table – 22 : Producer of Agate 2010-11 Location of mine Name & address of producer Almiya I. Saiyad, 16, Vyapar Bhawan, Himmatnagar, Gujarat. State District Gujarat Bharuch Table – 23 : Production of Agate, 2008-09 to 2010-11 ((By States) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11(P) State India Gujarat Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value - - 11 6 19 10 - - 11 6 19 10 Table – 24 : Production of Agate, 2009-10 & 2010-11 (By Sectors/States/Districts) (Qty in tonnes; value in ` '000) 2009-10 2010-11(P) State/District India Private sector Gujarat Bharuch No. of mines Quantity Value No. of mines Quantity Value 1 11 6 1 19 10 1 11 6 1 19 10 1 11 6 1 19 10 1 11 6 1 19 10 66-16 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 25 : Mine-head Stocks of Agate, 2010-11 (P) (By States) JASPER No production of jasper was reported (In tonnes) State India Gujarat At the beginning of the year At the end of the year 57 57 25 25 during 2009-10 and 2010-11. The only mine which reported production in 2008-09, wound up its operation due to lack of demand (Table - 26). Table –26 : Production of Jasper, 2008-09 to 2010-11 ((By States) (Qty in tonnes; value in '000) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11(P) State India Rajasthan Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity 99 51 - - - - 99 51 - - - - MINING Mining for silica minerals is carried out by manual opencast method. Quartz produced in the form of lump along with other associated minerals is invariably hammered to pieces and manually sorted before it is despatched to the consuming industries. It is sometimes crushed and marketed. Glass sand is generally screened and washed to remove all the deleterious constituents for its use in glass industry. APMDC owns two crushing plants located at Mahaboobnagar district in Andhra Pradesh with crushing capacity of 45 tonnes and 1,000 tonnes a month, respectively. Besides, Maharashtra Minerals Corp. Ltd has a 50,000-tonnes per year beneficiation plant at Phondaghat in Sindhudurg district. The plant has advanced technology in washing both by water and chemicals and further grading it in required fractions. HEALTH HAZARDS Respirable silica is still a cause of major concern to miners and consumers since many minerals especially, industrial sand and gravel contain crystalline silica, There is a potential threat of workers getting subjected to "silicosis" in quartz, silica sand and gravel mines Occupational safety measures & regulations to Value monitor the levels of crystalline silica in these m i n e s a r e m a n d a t o r y. I n t h e U S A , t h e Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) listed "crystalline silica" as one of their top five priorities for formulation of necessary rules. The OSHA, on the basis of significant information put out by International Agency f o r R e s e a r c h o n Ev a l u a t i o n o f C a n c e r, h a s declared that any material containing more than 0.1% crystalline silica should indicate its carcinogenic hazard. USES Quartz, quartzite and silica sand are used in various industries like glass, refractory, foundry, ceramic, cosmetic, electrical, abrasives, paints, etc. The primary use of silica is in the manufacture of virtually all types of glasswares, ceramics and ceramic glazes. Other major uses are in metallurgy, (where silica is used as a refractory, foundry mould, fluxes and as a source of silicon for the production of silicon metal and ferro-silicon and other ferro-alloys), silicon carbide manufacture, chemical & construction sectors and as a natural abrasive. Known for its piezoelectric properties, high quality quartz crystal is used in electronic devices, multiple telephone lines, depth-sounding devices, range finders, chronometers, etc. 66-17 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Sand is also used as a fireproofing material, for sandstowing in mines, soundproofing material and as a filler. Silica sand is also used to maintain or increase the permeability of oil and gas-bearing formations; its application as a filler in acid proof cements, putty, paints, epoxy & polyester resins is inevitable. Besides, it is widely used in horticulture, as a filtration medium, and for ornamental purposes as well. Silica flour is used as a filler in plastic and rubber products. Flint and chert are used in abrasives and tubemill lining. Besides, chert is used in crushed form as aggregate for concrete and road surfacing. Rounded pebbles of chalcedony are used as balls in ball mill for finer crushing and grinding f e l s p a r, c a l c i t e a n d b a r y t e s . T h e d i ff e r e n t cryptocrystalline varieties of transparent and translucent chalcedony are valued as semiprecious stones and are carved out into a variety of ornaments and used for making different ornamental wares or articles of decoration. Agate pieces after cutting and polishing are sold as semiprecious stones. Big pieces are used in making mortars and pestles for laboratory use. Agate cut into requisite shapes is also used as fulcra of scientific balances and in making edges, planes and bearings of precision instruments. INDUSTRY & SPECIFICATIONS In India, quartz, quartzite and silica sand are used mainly in glass, foundry, ferro-alloys and refractory industries and also as building materials. According to its suitability for different purposes, it may be named as building sand, paving sand, moulding or foundry sand, refractory sand or furnace sand, filter sand, glass sand and grinding & polishing sand. containers, bottles, amber glass containers, clear flint glass, vacuum bottles and other glasswares. It is reported that a large fraction of the requirement of flat glass, container glass, glass fibre and glass tablewares is being produced by about 100 large- scale producers Most of them are located in Gujarat,Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. There are more than 600 medium and small cottage-scale industries. The production during 2009-10 and 2010-11 of bottle glassware was 896,636 tonnes and 795,881 tonnes(up to Dec. 2010), respectively. The natural silica sand is the preferred material in glass industry, but in some cases where the glass plants are located far away from silica deposits, crushed quartz is also used. For use in glass industry, the silica sand must be uniform in chemical composition, size and shape of grains. Uniform grain size promotes even melting in the glass tank. The sand should not be coarser than 20 or 30 mesh and finer than 100 to 120 mesh. As a general rule, the grains should be angular rather than rounded, because angular grains melt more readily than the rounded ones. For glass manufacturing, the silica sand should be fairly free from contaminations of clay materials, pebbles, etc. Silica sand usually contains iron oxide, calcium oxide, potassium oxide and sodium oxide in small amounts. Iron is the most objectionable impurity because it imparts colouration to the glass. The common permissible limits of iron oxide in silica sand for use in the manufacture of different types of glass are as follows: Glass type Optical glass Flint or soda-lime glass Fe2O 3 % 0.005-0.008 0.02-0.05 Plate glass 0.1-0.2 Glass White bottles or window glass 0.2-0.5 Main use of silica minerals is in the manufacture of different types of glasses, i.e. glass Dark bottle glass 0.5-0.7 66-18 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS BIS has laid down specifications for glass making sands vide IS:488-1980(Second Revision, Reaffrimed 2008). Chromium compounds, alumina, lime and magnesia are the other deleterious impurities. Chromium compounds are undesirable because these compounds impart more colouration to the glass than iron. Alumina tends to decrease transparency and makes the batch more difficult to melt. The maximum quantity of alumina permissible in sand is 1.5 percent. The maximum permissible limit for lime and magnesia is about 0.05% and for alkalies it is 0.01% or less. Ceramic The Ceramic Industry in India ranks fifth in the world in terms of production of ceramic tiles. Ceramic industry comprises ceramic tiles, sanitaryware and crockeryware items. These products are manufactured both in large- and small- scale sectors. In organised sector, there were 16 units for ceramic tiles with an installed capacity of 2.1 million tonnes per year, 16 units for potteryware with 43,000 tpy installed capacity and 7 units for sanitaryware with 1,43,000 tpy capacity in the country (Table - 27). Table – 27 : Ceramic Industry 2009-10 Industry Unit Ceramic Tiles million sq m Potteryware tonnes Sanitaryware tonnes No. of Units 2010-11(e) Production No. of Units Production 16 + 200 SSI Units 340.00 16 +200 SSI Units 391.00 16 + 1200 SSI Units 72956 16 + 1400 SSI Units 80000 7 + 210 431475 7 + 200 480000 SSI Units SSI Units Source: Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Annual Report, 2010-11. In the small-scale sector, there were over 210 units of sanitaryware with capacity of 53,000 tpy and over 1400 plants of potteryware with a capacity of 3 lakh tpy. Ceramic whiteware contains about 40% silica, besides other constituents except for bone china in which it is not used at all. The silica serves to provide whiteness, renders the ceramic body to dry easily and provides compatability between the body and the glass to prevent crazing or peeling. Main source of silica for this application is silica sand. In addition, silica flour is used in formulation of ceramic body for enamels and frits. Silica flour produced by fine grinding of quartzite, sandstone or lump quartz is used in enamels. The silica flour normally contains more than 97.5% SiO2, less than 0.55% Al2O3 and less than 0.2% Fe2O3. Purity and small particle size (BS mesh-200) are fundamentally important for silica in manufacture of ceramics. BIS has prescribed the specifications of quartz for ceramic industry vide IS: 11464-2011 (First Revision). Foundry The Indian foundry industry is the largest in the world. This industry is well established in the country and is spread across a wide spectrum consisting of large, medium, small and tiny sector. A special feature of domestic foundry industry is its geographical clustering i.e. Coimbatore cluster is famous for pump sets castings, Kolhapur and Belgaum cluster for automotive castings, Rajkot cluster for diesel engine castings and Batala and Jalandhar cluster for machinery parts and agriculture implements. A large number of foundries in both ferrous and non-ferrous sectors are functioning in the organised sector in the country. Most of the foundry units use moulding sand having 40 to 65 A.F.S. (American Foundrymen's Society) numbers. 66-19 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Silica sand is used in both foundry cores and moulds because of its resistance to thermal shock. Silica content of 85% is used in iron casting. In steel foundries, silica content should be at least 95%. BIS has laid down specifications of high silica sand for use in foundries vide IS: 1987-2002 (Second Revision, Reaffirmed 2007). Natural moulding sand contains variable amount of clay which acts as a bond between the sand grains. These sands, therefore, possess strength, plasticity and refractoriness to varying extent depending upon the clay minerals present. When it contains more clay, it is blended with river sand, which is relatively clayfree so as to get the optimum properties desired in the sand mixture. Washed grains shall be mostly sub-angular to rounded shape. As far as possible, the sand shall be free from gravel. As per IS:3343-1965 (Reaffrimed 2008), natural moulding sand for use in foundries shall be of three main grades, namely, A, B and C with respect to clay content. specifications of silica flour for use in foundries vide IS: 3339-1975( Reaffirmed 2008). Refractory Quartz and quartzite are used in the manufacture of refractory silica bricks. However, recently these bricks are being replaced by basic linings of magnesite, dolomite or natural types such as bauxite, etc. in LD basic oxygen and electric furnaces. Silica reacts readily with basic slag and is therefore unsuitable in the basic steel making process. Nevertheless, silica bricks continue to be used in coke ovens, ceramic kilns, glass tank crowns and as blast furnace chequers in some steel mills. Silica bricks have excellent load resistance capacity at high temperature. For the manufacture of refractory bricks, silica mineral should be free from aluminosilicates (felspar, mica, etc.), as aluminosilicates adversely affect refractoriness of the bricks. Silica rock (raw material) should be hard, having high bulk density and low porosity. Fluxes Grade Clay (%) A 5 to 10 B 10 to 15 C 15 to 20 Refractoriness of the natural moulding sand based on sintering temperature range should be as follows: Massive quartz, quartzite, sandstone and unconsolidated sands are the main sources of silica that get used as flux in smelting base metal ores where iron and basic oxides are slagged as silicates. Silica is also used to balance the lime and silica ratio of the blast furnace mix. The silica content for this purpose must be as high as 90% with minor amounts of impurities like iron and alumina up to 1.5% maximum. BIS has laid down IS: 13676-1993(Reaffirmed 2008) for quartzite for iron making in blast furnance. Grade A - 1350 to 1450 oC Ferro-silicon and Other Alloys Grade B - 1200 to 1350 oC Grade C - 1100 to 1200 oC Washed sand grains are required to be subangular to rounded shape. Silica flour is particularly used in the steel foundry in dressing for moulds and cores and also as essential ingredient in the moulding sand mixtures. It is also used to obtain elevated temperature strength, high density and resistance to metal penetration in cores. Silica flour is produced by crushing, washing and grading high- grade quartz/quartzite rocks or white silica sand or other deposits sufficiently pure to get the desired material.BIS has laid down Ferro-silicon contains about 75-90% silicon and minor amounts of iron, carbon, etc. It is estimated that for the manufacture of one tonne ferro-silicon of 70-75% grade, about 1.78 tonnes quartz is required besides other raw materials like coke, iron scrap, etc. Quartz is the major source of silica in the manufacture of ferro-silicon. Occasionally, quartzite is also used. However, use of quartzite is restricted as it contains higher alumina and iron and more likely that it would break down in the furnace. Lump silica in the size range from 3/4 to 5 inches are generally preferred. Ferro-silicon is produced by smelting a mixture of quartz, metallic iron (steel scrap and turnings) and a reducing agent like coke, charcoal or wood chips. 66-20 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Quartz suitable for ferro-silicon production should have more than 98% SiO 2 , less than 0.4% Al 2O 3 and not more than 0.2% each of Fe2O 3, CaO and MgO. Phosphorus or arsenic should not be present in quartz. If Al 2O 3 is more than the prescribed limit, it affects reduction in the electric furnace. Alkali has a tendency to promote a sticky slag which contaminates the products. If higher iron (more than 0.3%) is present in quartz, the fusion in the furnace takes place at lower temperature and affects reduction process. Another important factor is that quartz should have good thermal stability at 1200 o C or more. BIS has laid down IS: 13054-1991(Reaffirmed 2008) for use of quartz/ quartzite for production of ferro-alloys. As per Indian Ferro Alloys Producers' Association, 35 units having a capacity of 205,750 tpy were established for the production of ferro-silicon. However, presently only 20 units are in operation with a total capacity of 145 thousand tpy. The production of ferro-silicon was estimated at around 117 thousand tonnes in 2010-11 List of principal producers of ferro-silicon is furnished in Table - 28. (Table -28 Concld.) Table – 28 : Principal Producers of Ferro-silicon Name of the plant Installed capacity (tpy) Name of the plant Installed capacity (tpy) Sandur Manganese & Iron Ore Ltd, Vyasankere, Bellary, 24000 Karnataka. (closed) Ferro Alloys Corp. Ltd, (Ferro Alloys Division), Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh. Navbharat Ferro-alloys Ltd, Paloncha, Dist. Khammam, Andhra Pradesh. VBC Ferro Alloys Ltd, Medak, Andhra Pradesh. GMR Technologies & Ind. Ltd, Ravivalasa, Dist. Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh. 72500 ( To t a l ) NA Kerala. 9300 Indsil Electrosmelts Ltd, NA Pallabhari, Dist. Pallakad, Kerala. 19000 Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd, Therubali, Dist. Cuttack, 53000 Odisha. 25000 ( To t a l ) The Silical Metallurgic Ltd, 10560 Puducherry. Akshay Ispat & Ferro Alloys Ltd, Namchi Distt., South Sikkim, Sikkim. 6000 Hindustan Malleables & Forgings Ltd, Dhanbad, Jharkhand. 1800 Anjaney Ferro-alloys Ltd, Mihijam, Dist. Dumka, Jharkhand. Sri Laxmi Electro Smelters (Pvt.) Ltd, Erumathala, Aluva, Snam Alloys Ltd, 12000 Village Kariamanickam, Puducherry. V.S.K. Ferro-alloys Ltd, 3000 Thuthipet, Puducherry. Hindustan ferro-Alloys, NA Hamirpur, (Contd.) Uttar Pradesh. 66-21 3200 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Silico-manganese, a combination of 60-70% manganese, 10-20% silicon and 20% carbon, substitutes low carbon ferro-manganese in steel industry. The production of silico-manganese including medium and low carbon silicomanganese was estimated at 1,299 thousand tonnes in 2010-11. The details of silicon ferro-alloys are also discussed in the review on 'Ferro-Alloys'. Silicon Metal A high purity quartz containing about 99.80% SiO2 , without any other contaminant, is used in the production of silicon metal. The production of silicon metal is similar to that for ferro-silicon except that no iron is added. The alumina and iron contents are specified to be below 0.1% each with calcium and phosphorus contents each restricted to 0.005 percent. For production of one tonne of silicon metal, about 2.6 tonnes silica is consumed. Specifications of silica minerals to be used in different industries are given in Table - 29. Table – 29 : BIS Specifications of Silica Minerals for various Industries Mineral Industry consumed Glass Silica sand Foundry Silica flour Iron (BF) BIS Physical No. specifications IS: 488 – 1980 (Second Revision; Reaffirmed 2008) IS:3339 – 1975 (First Revision; Reaffirmed 2008) Quartzite IS:13676 -1993 (Reaffirmed 2008) Lumpy, Hard, Non-friable of size -150 to +10 mm Chemical Specifications Grade Special Gr. SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 99 Remarks TiO 2 (%) P (%) 0.020 – (min) – – 0.10 For manufacturing high-grade colourless glass, viz, crystal glass, tableware and decoratedware. Gr. I 98.0 0.04 – (min) (max) – – 0.10 (max) – For manufacturing decolourised glassware, viz, containerware, lampware, etc. Gr. II 97.5 0.07 – (min) (max) – – 0.10 (max) – For manufacturing glassware where slight tint is permissible. Gr. III 97% 0.2 – (max) (max) – – – – For manufacturing of decolourised and some coloured glasses. – 98.0 (min) – – – – – – 100% silica flour should pass through 150-micron I.S. sieve and atleast 95% through 75-micron sieve. The fusion temperature should be >1700 oC. – 96-98 2-4 – – – – – After prescribed thermal stability test on -25+19 mm material, +19 mm fraction should be more than 55% and -5 mm fraction should be less than 5%. (Contd.) 66-22 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS (Table -29 Concld.) Mineral Industry consumed BIS Physical No. specifications Banded -doHematite Quartzite Note: -do- Chemical Specifications Grade – SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 48-50 1.0 50(max)52 (Fe) – – Remarks TiO 2 (%) P (%) – – After prescribed tumbling test on +5 mm material, +5 mm fraction should be more than 90%. In addition, BIS has prescribed following specifications: - silica for paint industry (IS : 67 - 1998; Second Revision; Reaffirmed 2002), High-silica sand for use in foundries (IS : 1987-2002; Second Revision), Quartz & quartzite for production of ferro-alloys (IS : 13054-1991; Reaffirmed 2003). CONSUMPTION POLICY The consumption of quartz and silica sand was estimated at 1.45 million tonnes in 2010-11. Major consuming industries were glass (36%), cement (19%), ferro-alloys (17%), foundry (9%), fertilizer (7%). and ceramic(6%). Other industries such as iron & steel, alloy steel, insecticide, refractory, abrasive, etc. consumed the remaining 6%. Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) for 2009-2014 and the amended Export and Import Policy incorporated in the FTP freely allows the import of quartz and quartzite lumps and powder as also silica sand and quartz sands under headings 2505 and 2506. However, the exports of silica sands and quartz sands under heading 2505 are restricted and permitted under licence. The export of river sand to Maldives is permitted, subject to 'No Objection Certificate' by CAPEXCIL within the annual ceiling of 1,185,455 tonnes for 2011-12. The consumption of quartzite was estimated around 273 thousand tonnes out of which iron and steel industry consumed about 63%, followed by ferro-alloys (18%), refractory (17%) and cement (2%). The estimated consumption of moulding sand in 2010-11 was 64,800 tonnes. Major consuming industries were foundry (64%), followed by iron & steel (29%) and mining machinery (6%). The total ferro-silicon consumed by various industries in 2010-11 was estimated at 42,900 tonnes. Major consuming industries were iron & steel (85%), alloy steel (10%) and foundry (5%). Besides, reported consumption of ferrosilico-magnesium was 13 tonnes in foundry industry in 2010-11.Estimated consumption of ferro-chrome-silicon was 460 tonnes in alloy steel industry (Tables - 30 to 35). SUBSTITUTION In order to reduce the potential threat of "silicosis," a variety of materials are used as substitutes for silica. Basic and neutral refractories (including magnesite, mag-chrome, dolomite and high alumina bricks) have replaced silica in a large number of applications. Chromite, olivine and zircon are alternatives to foundry sands. Garnet and to a lesser extent, olivine are used in sand blasting to avoid the risk of silicosis. Wollastonite is more favoured than free silicon for use in the ceramic industry, again due to the risk of silicosis. In electronic industry, replacement of natural quartz crystal by cultured quartz crystal is increasing steadily. 66-23 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 30 : Reported Consumption of Quartz/Silica Sand, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (By Industries) (In tonnes) Industry All Industries Alloy steel Cement Ceramic Ferro-alloys Fertilizer Foundry Glass Iron & steel Others (Abrasive, asbestos, chemical, dry cell battery, electrical, paint, pesticide, refracatory and rubber) 2008-09 2009-10(R) 2010-11(P) 1457600 14500(10) 280500(14) 71500(38) 218400(33) 105800(4) 129900(32) 574900(52) 13500(1) 48600 (75) 1451500 14500(10) 278100(14) 76300(38) 208300(35) 105800(4) 136400(33) 569900(52) 13500(1) 48700(75) 1453100 14500(10) 271100(14) 86800(38) 244200(36) 105800(4) 138100(33) 529900(52) 13500(1) 49200(77) Figures rounded off. Data collected on non-statutory basis. Figures in parentheses denote the number of units in organised sector reporting* consumption. (*Includes actual reported consumption and/or estimates made wherever required). Table – 31: Reported Consumption of Quartzite, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (By Industries) (In tonnes) Industry 2008-09 All Industries Cement Ferro-alloys Foundry Iron & steel Pelletisation (Iron & steel) Refractory Sponge iron 2009-10 (R) 2010-11(P) 273600 278600 273400 17600(2) 1100(2) 5400(2) 50300(11) 45300(12) 48000(12) 800(4) 800(4) 800(4) 148600(20) 173700(22) 171400(22) 2400(1) 2400(1) 2400(1) 53800(13) 55200(13) 45300(13) 100(1) 100(1) 100(1) Figures rounded off. Data collected on non-statutory basis. Figures in parentheses denote the number of units in organised sector reporting* consumption. (*Includes actual reported consumption and/or estimates made wherever required). Table – 32 : Reported Consumption of Moulding Sand, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (By Industries) (In tonnes) Industry All Industries Foundry Iron & steel Mining machinery Others (Sugar & textile) 2008-09 2009-10(R) 2010-11(P) 59900 54300(15) 1400(4) 4100(3) 100(7) 66000 41700(14) 20100(6) 4100(3) 100(7) 64800 41700(14) 18900(6) 4100(3) 100(7) Figures rounded off. Data collected on non-statutory basis. Figures in parentheses denote the number of units in the organised sector reporting* consumption. (* includes reported companies and/or estimates, whenever required). 66-24 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 33 : Reported Consumption of Ferro-Silicon, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (By Industries) (In tonnes) Industry All Industries Alloy steel Electrode 2008-09 2009-10 (R) 2010-11 (P) 42200 41900 42900 4000(7) 4100(7) 4100(7) ++(2) ++(2) ++(2) - ++(1) ++(1) 2100(20) 2200(21) 2200(21) 36100 (17) 35600(20) 36600(20) Ferro-alloys Foundry Iron & steel WORLD REVIEW Basically, silica is abundant in the earth's crust. Sand and gravel reserves of the world are large. Quartzrich sand and sandstone are the main sources of industrial silica sand which occurs throughout the world. Reserves of natural quartz crystal suitable for electronics or optical use in the world are limited. The world's dependence on these reserves will continue to decline because of the increased usage of cultured quartz crystal as an alternate material. Electronic applications accounted for the most industrial uses of quartz crystal, followed by optical application. All quartz crystals used for electronics were cultured. The world production of industrial silica sand and gravel by principal countries is given in Table - 36. Figures rounded off. Data collected on non-statutory basis.Figures in parentheses denote the no of units in organised sector reporting* consumption. (*Includes actual reported consumption and/or estimates made wherever required). Table – 34 : Reported Consumption of Ferro-Silicon-Magnesium, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (By Industries) Table – 36: World Production of Sand and Gravel (Industrial), 2008 to 2010 (By Principal Countries) (In '000 tonnes) Country 2008 (e) 2009 (e) World: Total (rounded) 121000 106000 121000 Australia 5300 5200 5300 Belgium 1800 1800 1800 Canada 1990 1300 1171 Chile 1400 1400 1400 Czech Republic 1000 1364 1400 France 5000 5000 5000 Germany 8190 6450 7000 India* 1700 1700 1800 Iran 2000 1500 1500 Italy 13800 13800 9800 Japan 4500 3500 3078 Mexico 2780 2770 2480 Norway 1500 1500 1500 Poland 4000 4385 2730 South Africa 3650 2310 2910 Spain 5000 5000 5000 Turkey 1200 1250 4000 UK 5600 5600 3760 USA 30400 25000 29900 Other countries (rounded) 20200 15200 19900 (In tonnes) Industry All Industries Foundry 2008-09 2009-10 (R) 2010-11 (P) 13 13 13 13 (2) 13 (2) 13 (2) Figures rounded off. Data collected on non-statutory basis. Figures in parenthesis denote the number of units in organised sector reporting* consumption. (*Includes actual reported consumption and/or estimates made wherever required). Table – 35 : Reported Consumption of Ferro-Chrome-Magnesium, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (By Industries) (In tonnes) Industry All Industries Alloy steel 2008-09 460 460 (1) 2009-10 (R) 460 460 (1) 2010-11 (P) 460 460 (1) Figures rounded off. Data collected on non-statutory basis. Figures in parenthesis denote the number of units in organised sector reporting* consumption. (*Includes actual reported consumption and/or estimates made wherever required). 2010 (e) Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2010 to 2012. * For India's production of silica minerals during 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11, Tables - 5 , 10, 15, and 19 of this Review may be referred. Besides, sand is also produced as a minor mineral for use in building construction applications. 66-25 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS FOREIGN TRADE Exports Exports of quartz and quartzite (natural) decreased considerably to 203,363 tonnes in 2010-11 from 256,421 tonnes in the previous year. Out of total exports, quartz comprised 165,532 tonnes (81%) and quartzite 37,831 tonnes (19%). Exports were mainly to Japan (23%), UAE & Bangladesh (13% each) and Vietnam (12%). Exports of silica sand increased to 12,267 tonnes in 2010-11 from 7,478 tonnes in 2009-10. Exports were mainly to Japan (41%), France (9%) and Kenya & Qatar (5% each). Exports of sand (excluding metal bearing) decreased substantially to 10,305 tonnes in2010-11 from 26,932 tonnes in the previous year. Exports were mainly to Sudi Arabia (31%), Tunisia (19%) and Oman (9%). Exports of agate (uncut) registered a downward trend with 9,448 tonnes in 2010-11 as against 39,090 tonnes recorded in the previous year. China (49%) , USA (15%) , Germany (11%) and Italy(10%) were the main buyers in 2010-11. Exports of agate (cut) increased substantially to 675 thousand carats in 2010-11 from 125 thousand carats in the previous year. Exports of flint increased to 1,688 tonnes in 2010-11 from 940 tonnes in 2009-10. Exports of silicon decreased to 165 tonnes in 2010-11 from 536 in the previous year. Exports were mainly to UAE, People's Rep.of Congo, Hong Kong and Liberia (Tables - 37 to 45). China was the main supplier. Imports of agate (uncut) were 637 tonnes in 2010-11 as compared to 39 tonnes in 2009-10. Imports were mainly from China. Imports of agate (cut) were 3 thousand carat in 2010-11, mainly from China and Italy. Imports of silicon were 32,055 tonnes as compared to 24,245 tonnes in 2009-10, mostly from China (Tables - 46 to 54). Table – 37 : Exports of Quartz And Quartzite (By Countries) 2009-10 2010-11 Country All Countries Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 256421 1092657 203363 1208710 Japan 41782 336939 47522 467239 Vietnam 15638 118830 24196 177159 UAE 33694 92392 25711 72779 Malaysia 32828 90498 8414 70694 Bangladesh 32500 75194 26031 62594 Italy 8245 65099 8141 56405 Germany 5336 32365 4516 36370 Israel 5226 27154 6310 33972 Nigeria 670 3588 4752 29134 Bhutan 35749 40828 21227 27931 Other countries 44753 209770 26543 174433 Table – 38 : Exports of Quartzite (Natural) (By Countries) Imports Imports of quartz and quartzite (natural) were 496 tonnes in 2010-11 as compared to 823 tonnes in 2009-10. Out of the total imports in 2010-11, those of quartz were 412 tonnes and mainly from Sri Lanka, Spain and UK while quartzite imports were 84 tonnes as compared to 337 tonnes in the preceding year. The imports were mainly from Sri Lanka. Imports of silica sand increased substantially to 93,741 tonnes in 2010-11 from 15,384 tonnes in the previous year. Egypt, UAE, Jordan and Bhutan were the main suppliers. Imports of sand (excluding metal bearing) sharply decreased to 22 thousand tonnes in 2010-11 from 493 thousand tonnes in 2009-10. Imports were mainly from Nepal and Pakistan. Imports of flint sharply decreased to 25 tonnes in 2010-11 as compared to 862 tonnes in the previous year. 2009-10 2010-11 Country All Countries 66-26 Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 54283 261454 37831 275779 Vietnam 9497 69724 9579 78092 Japan 7713 41082 7699 45789 Italy 6608 52268 5641 42058 670 3588 4072 25302 Israel 2229 15354 2644 20706 Germany 1752 4262 951 9936 9182 Nigeria Spain 163 1224 754 Thailand 1727 11569 460 8497 Bangladesh 3360 9157 2118 4785 USA 208 2207 120 3916 Other countries 20356 51019 3793 27516 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 41 : Exports of Sand (Excl. Metal Bearing) (By Countries) Table – 39 : Exports of Quartz (Natural) (By Countries) 2009-10 2010-11 Country 2009-10 Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 202138 831203 165532 932931 34069 295857 39823 421451 6141 49106 14617 99067 UAE 33659 92185 25416 71580 Chinese Taipei/ Taiwan Malaysia 32704 90202 8266 69888 Bangladesh 29140 66037 23913 Bhutan 22464 26818 Germany 3584 Iran All Countries 2010-11 Country Qty (t) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 26932 88278 10305 124563 117 8874 3199 60146 - - 364 27651 Tunisia 100 4108 1937 9558 57809 Oman 198 1158 925 5344 20629 27309 Qatar 189 1884 322 2898 28103 3565 26434 UAE 228 1509 606 2380 1133 8159 2664 22391 Canada - - 230 2228 Thailand 1654 7156 2500 19139 Nigeria 171 943 489 2121 Italy 1637 12831 2500 14346 Egypt - - 45 1861 Other countries 35953 154749 21639 103517 74 569 175 1713 Other countries 25855 69233 2013 8663 Japan All Countries Value (`'000) Saudi Arabia Vietnam Korea, Rep. of Table – 40 : Exports of Silica Sand (By Countries) 2009-10 Table – 42 : Exports of Agate Uncut (By Countries) 2010-11 2009-10 Country 2010-11 Country Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 7478 30073 12267 145497 Japan 421 7664 5026 93322 China Korea, Rep.of 165 1217 448 5810 34 204 565 Singapore - - France - Kenya Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 39090 8750 9488 15421 100 300 4637 4953 USA 19046 3131 1451 3486 5094 Italy - - 946 1476 280 4842 Germany 10 306 1070 1463 - 1082 4722 Hong Kong 1 66 47 1127 64 260 633 3986 Australia 18587 1519 123 686 Vietnam 12 143 416 3634 Malta - - 12 481 Thailand 220 4105 180 3261 Japan 25 181 160 459 Malaysia 35 136 188 2675 UK 53 2137 778 347 125 583 529 2239 Chinese Taipei/ Taiwan - - 100 296 6402 15761 2920 15912 Other countries 1268 1110 164 647 All Countries Qatar Kuwait Other countries All Countries 66-27 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 45 : Exports of Silicon (By Countries) Table – 43 : Exports of Agate Cut (By Countries) 2009-10 2009-10 2010-11 Country Qty Value Qty ('000 carat) (`'000) ('000 carat) All Countries 2010-11 Country Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) All Countries 536 28455 165 23005 Hong Kong 14 10843 26 6153 - - 3 3724 ++ 36 41 2927 - - 3 2013 Value (`'000) 125 19774 675 51501 4 233 153 23424 49 6136 394 10908 Germany 9 4463 17 4660 Italy 2 1288 59 4454 France 2 1709 14 2415 Congo, People’s Rep. of 54 2731 29 2007 China 26 996 1 1340 Liberia 17 740 22 1394 Spain ++ 80 7 854 Singapore - - 1 1034 - - 2 698 Sri Lanka 6 343 11 842 ++ 49 10 578 Nepal 31 664 8 626 1 176 9 547 - - 1 402 32 4644 9 1623 414 13098 20 1883 Hong Kong USA Turkey UAE Finland Australia Turkey Japan Other countries Iran Other countries Table – 46 :Imports of Quartz and Quartzite (Natural) (By Countries) Table – 44 : Exports of Flint (By Countries) 2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 Country Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 940 2653 1688 6320 Djibouti 588 1428 1064 4034 Saudi Arabia 161 722 233 895 South Africa - - 81 602 UAE - - 106 471 Sudan 162 477 27 128 Ethiopia - - 26 112 Bangladesh - - 151 77 Nepal 1 1 ++ 1 28 25 - - All Countries Other countries 2010-11 Country Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 823 11964 496 8699 Sri Lanka 352 3112 225 2932 Germany 143 4083 21 1576 Italy 19 768 42 1230 Spain 115 1112 141 1191 UK 6 223 54 1111 USA 3 251 10 510 Belgium 3 143 3 128 160 1432 ++ 17 - - ++ 3 22 840 ++ 1 All Countries China UAE Other countries 66-28 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 47 : Imports of Quartzite (Natural) (By Countries) 2009-10 Table – 50 : Imports of Sand (Excl. Metal Bearing) (By Countries) 2010-11 Country All Countries Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 337 4199 84 2510 Italy 19 768 34 1186 Germany ++ 19 ++ 678 Sri Lanka 309 2846 50 646 9 566 - - Other countries 2009-10 Sri Lanka Spain UK Germany 2010-11 Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 486 7765 412 6189 43 266 175 2285 115 1112 141 1191 6 147 54 1111 143 4064 21 899 3 251 10 510 Belgium 3 143 3 128 China - - 8 44 159 1333 ++ 17 ++ 3 14 449 ++ 1 UAE Other countries Qty (t) Value (`'000) 493454 177268 22379 28609 492839 165822 19744 17562 Belgium 486 6730 594 7372 Pakistan - - 2003 1584 China 2 56 15 1089 124 4617 4 377 Switzerland - - 14 305 Netherlands - - 3 265 France - - 2 55 Other countries 3 43 - - Germany USA Italy Value (`'000) Nepal Country All Countries Qty (t) All Countries Table – 48 : Imports of Quartz (Natural) (By Countries) 2009-10 Table – 51 : Imports of Flint (By Countries) 2009-10 All Countries Hong Kong Table – 49 :Imports of Silica Sand (By Countries) Other countries Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 862 5413 25 202 124 1567 25 202 - - - - 738 3846 - - 2010-11 Country All Countries 2010-11 Country China 2009-10 2010-11 Country Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 15384 287033 93741 413702 Egypt 275 584 50178 91860 Italy 2562 69450 3120 43291 China 411 9042 2468 37903 Table – 52 : Imports of Agate Uncut (By Countries) 2009-10 2010-11 Country Qty (t) Value (`'000) Qty (t) Value (`'000) 39 3354 637 15193 11 2584 594 13692 Norway 141 3664 2124 34404 Bhutan 4753 34982 3729 32763 - 12 277 23191 China Thailand - - 22 999 USA 2 59 8 286 Brazil - - 13 216 26 711 - - Spain UAE Saudi Arabia Jordan USA Other countries 37 1347 18223 20952 672 2949 2938 20383 1858 5305 6789 17199 895 24503 506 17043 3780 135195 3389 74713 All Countries 66-29 Other countries QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS Table – 53 : Imports of Agate Cut (By Countries) 2009-10 2010-11 Country Qty Value Qty Value ('000 carat) (` '000) ('000 carat) (` '000) All Countries ++ 1400 3 16464 USA ++ 1028 ++ 15422 Italy - - 1 429 China - - 2 327 ++ 351 ++ 233 - - ++ 52 ++ 21 ++ 1 Hong Kong Indonesia Other countries Table – 54 : Imports of Silicon (By Countries) 2009-10 2010-11 Country Qty Value Qty Value (t) (` '000) (t) (` '000) All Countries 24245 2186037 32055 3523172 China 22762 2031858 28375 3087166 99 8971 1558 175100 France 229 27827 630 81532 Australia 524 45242 333 46201 Hong Kong 163 14724 127 14107 Norway 142 18650 75 11752 UK 15 2214 92 10264 USA 2 1457 76 10051 Chinese Taipei/Taiwan 9 3056 4 9014 38 3372 124 15443 262 28666 661 62542 Vietnam Unspecified Other countries 66-30 QUARTZ & OTHER SILICA MINERALS FUTURE OUTLOOK In India, quartz, quartzite and silica sand are used mainly in glass, foundry, ferro-alloys, refractory industries and also as building materials. According to its suitability for different purposes, it may be named as building sand, paving sand, moulding or foundry sand, refractory sand or furnance sand and glass sand etc. However, the main use of silica minerals is in manufacture of different types of glasses, natural silica sand being the preferred material in the glass industry. The demand for quartz, silica sand, moulding sand and quartzite is increasing over the years to cater to the requirement of ferro-silicon, silicomanganese, silico-chrome, silica refractories, glass and for moulding and casting purposes. The requirements of these products are linked up directly with iron and steel industry including alloy steel production. Further, setting up foundries and enhancing their capacities are also linked with metallurgical industry. As per the report of the Sub-Group on 12th Plan, Planning Commission of India,the domestic demand of quartz and silica minerals is estimated at 3.15 million tonnes by 2011-12 and at 4.85 million tonnes by 2016-17 at 9% growth rate. The total resources of quartz and other silica minerals are 4,750 million tonnes as on 1.4.2010. There are very good prospects of increasing the export of quartz and silica minerals to the neighboring countries. In Haryana silica sand is available but due to environmental constraints mining is stopped.The Report has recommended that these constraints may be solved amicably in consultation with MoEF. 66-31