FLUORSPAR

Fluorspar is used for its fluorine content. Because of technical and practical considerations, fluorine is seldom consumed in elemental form but rather as fluorspar, which is the commercial name that refers to crude or beneficiated material that is mined and (or) milled from the mineral fluorite (calcium fluoride, CaF2). Fluorspar with a minimum CaF2 content of more than 97 percent has historically been referred to as acid grade, and anything with content less than or equal to 97 percent has been referred to as metallurgical grade. Globally, there are three leading fluorspar-consuming industries: aluminum production, the chemical industry and steelmaking. The manufacture of hydrofluoric acid (HF), the leading source of fluorine in industrial applications and a precursor in the production of most other fluorine-containing chemicals, and the manufacture of aluminum fluoride (AlF3) and cryolite (Na3AlF6), essential for primary aluminum smelting, typically require acid-grade fluorspar, although fluorosilicic acid (FSA) can also be used. Fluorspar used as a steelmaking flux historically consisted of metallurgical-grade fluorspar, although acid-grade has also been used. Other applications of fluorspar include use in the manufacture of cement, ceramics, enamel, glass and welding rod coatings. Legislation and government programs In September, the United States became the 137th country to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The goal of the amendment is to reduce production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases, commonly used as aerosols, refrigerants and solvents, by 80 percent over the next 30 years. This is expected to reduce projected global warming by as much as 0.5 °C by the end of the century. The American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 established all the HFC phasedown provisions and enforcement mechanisms needed to comply with the Kigali Amendment. Production Minimal fluorspar was produced in the United States in 2022. Hastie Mining & Trucking Co. sold metallurgical-grade fluorspar from stockpiles produced as a byproduct of its limestone quarrying operation in Cave-in-Rock, IL. A second company, Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (Canada), received a nearly $5 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program, which it expected to use to finish construction of a metallurgical-grade fluorspar processing plant, rail spur and tailings dam in Utah. An estimated 40 kt of FSA, equivalent to about 65 kt of fluorspar grading 100 percent, was recovered in 2022 from three phosphoric acid plants processing phosphate rock, which was primarily used in water fluoridation. In 2022, Nutrien Ltd. (Canada), in partnership with Arkema SA (France), continued development on a 40-kt/a anhydrous HF plant in Aurora, NC, using FSA feedstock. The new plant, expected to begin production in 2023, would be the first plant of its kind outside of China, although similar projects were reportedly being evaluated in other countries. World production of fluorspar was estimated to have decreased by 4 percent to 8.3 Mt in 2022. Global fluorspar supply, which is highly concentrated, was constrained by the bankruptcy and subsequent idling of a fluorspar mine in Canada and the declaration of force majeure for supply contracts by the world’s leading exporting mine in Mexico. However, overall adverse impacts to supply appear to have been offset by decreased consumption in China. Production of fluorspar in China, the world’s leading producer, was estimated to have remained unchanged at 5.7 Mt. Mexico’s fluorspar mine production was 990 kt, a slight decrease compared with 1.01 Mt in 2021. Production in South Africa was estimated to have increased by 4 percent to 420 kt; Vietnam’s production was reported to have increased slightly to 218 kt. Production in Mongolia was estimated to have decreased by 46 percent, to 350 kt, which was primarily attributed to decreased exports to China, the country’s main fluorspar trading partner. In February, the mine and processing operations of Canada Fluorspar (NL) Inc. (CFI) were idled and placed on care-and-maintenance status after the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada) appointed a monitor for the operation. The initial agreement to sell CFI’s assets was canceled in October after the selected bidder failed to deliver the agreed-upon deposit. The bidding process was subsequently reopened, and actions were taken to move the facility from care-and-maintenance status to cold idle, which included reducing the number of total employees to 11; allowing the open pits to flood in accordance with the mine closure and rehabilitation plan; shutting off power and water to almost all facilities, except for those being used by remaining staff; and terminating payments on leasing and financing agreements and arranging to return leased equipment. Domestic consumption and trade Domestically, production of HF at plants in Louisiana and Texas was by far the leading use for fluorspar. As of 2020, total domestic HF capacity was 220 kt/a, second only to China. Although some HF was consumed directly in various manufacturing processes, most was used to produce a diverse variety of organic fluorochemicals, including primarily fluorocarbon gases used as aerosols, propellants and refrigerant gases, or fluoropolymers. There was little domestic production of inorganic fluorochemicals. Apparent consumption of acid-grade fluorspar in 2022 was estimated to be 410 kt, an increase of 6 percent compared with 388 kt in 2021. The use of fluorspar as a steelmaking flux, primarily metallurgical-grade fluorspar, was the second leading domestic use of fluorspar. Apparent consumption of metallurgical-grade fluorspar was 78.8 kt, a 63 percent increase compared with 48.3 kt in 2021. In 2022, acid-grade imports were 425 kt compared with 391 kt in 2021, an increase of 8 percent. The leading acid-grade import sources in 2022, based on quantity, were Mexico (53 percent), China (22 percent), Vietnam (16 percent) and South Africa (8 percent). Metallurgical-grade imports in 2022 were 87.8 kt, a 48 percent increase compared with those in 2021. The leading sources of metallurgical-grade fluorspar, in terms of quantity, were Mexico (76 percent), China (15 percent), South Africa (5 percent) and Pakistan (4 percent). Decreased imports from Mexico and increased imports from China were likely the consequence of North American supply disruptions in Canada and Mexico. Prices According to Fastmarkets IM, the average annual midpoint price of fluorspar from all leading exporting countries increased in 2022 compared with those in 2021. The average midpoint price of acid-grade fluorspar from China was $479/t, an increase of 16 percent; the average midpoint price from Mexico was $367/t, an increase of 14 percent; and the average midpoint price from South Africa was $523/t, an increase of 47 percent. The average annual midpoint price of metallurgical-grade fluorspar from Mexico, with a minimum CaF2 content of 85 percent, was $345/t, an increase of 17 percent compared with that in 2021. Outlook Fluorocarbon gases, used as aerosols, propellants, and refrigerants, are the single largest end use for fluorspar. Although HFC phasedowns are already underway in a number of countries, alternatives are often other fluorocarbon gases so that the overall volume required is not expected to decrease. In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy identified chemicals derived from fluorspar as important in nine out of 11 emerging technologies (including those on carbon capture;electric grid transformers and highvoltage, direct-current transmission; energy storage; fuel cells and electrolyzers; hydropower; neodymium magnets; nuclear energy; semiconductors; and solar photovoltaics). Over the next five years, fluorspar consumption is expected to increase, particularly in fluorocarbon manufacturing; in the production of lithium hexafluorophosphate, the main electrolyte salt used in lithium-ion batteries; and in semiconductor manufacturing, both in cleaning and etching processes and in the manufacture of electronic specialty gases. References are available from the author.

FLUORSPAR

Authored by:
Michele E. McRae

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From sessions to strategy: Revealing long-term and emerging innovation trends in data analytics, intelligent systems and automation

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To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

FIRE CLAY

FRAC SANDS

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