A mining operation, which is currently mining rose quartz in
Namibia, has great potential to produce feldspar, a group of
minerals used for the manufacture of glass and ceramic
products.
The mine – operated by Plateau Mining, which acquired the
deposit in 1962 and has been mining rose quartz there since the
late 1960s – is situated about 30 km from Ariamsvlei in the
south of Namibia.
The deposits occur on two mining claims with the largest pegmatite
body having a length of 500 m and widths of between 50 m and 70
m.
While the mining of rose quartz in the area is already well
established, the company is howhat type of conveyor belt for coalping to generate interest in the
mining and processing of feldspar in order to establish an opencast
mining operation to remove the entire pegmatite body
systematically.
„The rose quartz of Ariamsvlei has become well-known in the
jewellery industry throughout the world for its high quality, but
the feldspar component has, until now, notvibratin feeder screen used price been mined,“ says the
company’s MD Dr Johannes O’Connell.
Until now, large quantities of feldspar have been built up and
O’Connell says that about 30 000 t is already available in
storage.
Estimates indicate that the orebody still contains enough reserves
to justify the establishment of a long-term mining operation.
scope of products for tools sandvic
This has been delayed due to a shortage of development capital,
which could amount to around R5-million as it is not only the
open-cast mine which must be established, but other expenses, such
as the upgrading of roads which is also necessary.
„Before feldspar can be used as a final product, it demands certain
phases of processing.
„Firstly, it needs a washing and sorting plant to remove dust and
strange particles, which is quite a labour-intensive
operation.
„Following this process, the feldspar will leave the mine to a
milling plant where it will be ground to a specific grade according
to the demand, which is a fairly complicated and expensive
process,“ O’Connell explains.
The mine, when in operation, could produce between 750 t and 1 000
t of feldspar a month, and current indications are that it should
have a lifespan of between 30 and 40 years.
Feldspar is a group of minerals with similar characteristics due to
a similar structure.
In glassmaking, the mineral provides alumina, which improves the
hardness, durability and resistance to chemical corrosion of the
glass.
When used in ceramics, feldspar lowers the vitrifying temperature
of a ceramic body during firing and forms a glassy phase.
Rose quartz’s pink to rose red colour is completely unique, making
the stone one of the most desirable varieties of quartz.
The colour is caused by iron and titanium impurities.
The company has been in operation since the early seventies and
concentrates on the prospecting and mining of semiprecious
stones.
It has, over the years, established small to medium-sized mining
operations in the mining of semiprecious stones such as amethyst,
picture stone, rose quartz, and red and brecciated jasper, though
at present the company is concentrating its activities on the
project at Ariamsvlei.