ZIRCONIUM

Overview The principal economic source of zirconium is most often in the form of the zirconium silicate mineral, zircon (ZrSiO4). Zircon is predominantly recovered as a coproduct of the mining and processing of placer deposits for heavy mineral sands including the titanium minerals, ilmenite and rutile, or tin minerals. Ceramics, foundry sand, metal, refractories, and zirconia, or zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), and other zirconium chemicals were the leading end uses for zircon with the dominant end use being ceramics, which accounted for about one-half of the total zircon market. Milled zircon is used in ceramics as an opacifier in ceramic bodies and glazes. Zirconia and other zirconium chemicals are used in a variety of other uses. Yttria-stabilized zirconia is used in the manufacture of oxygen sensors that control combustion in automobile engines and furnaces and in the manufacture of diverse products including cubic zirconia, fiber-optic connectors, refractory coatings, and structural ceramics. Zirconium metal is used in corrosive environments and various specialty alloys. Because of its low thermal neutron absorption cross section, hafnium-free zirconium metal is used as cladding for nuclear fuel rod tubes. In refractory and foundry uses, zircon is used for facings on foundry molds where it increases resistance to metal penetration and gives a uniform finish to specialty metal castings. Milled or ground zircon is used in refractory paints for coating the surfaces of molds, and refractory bricks containing zircon are used in furnaces and hearths for containing molten metals. Figure 1 U.S. salient trade statistics for zircon. Figure 2 Average annual unit value of imported and exported zircon ores and concentrates, 2018-2022. Import unit value is based on imports from Australia, Senegal and South Africa. Export unit value is based on total domestic exports. Table 1 World production of zirconium ores and concentrates by countrye (kt, gross weight). (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Production Global production of zircon concentrates in gross weight, excluding U.S. production that was less than 100 kt, was estimated to be 1.4 Mt in 2022, a slight increase from 1.3 Mt in 2021. The leading producing countries, Australia and South Africa, accounted for about 60 percent of global production (Table 1). In the United States, The Chemours Co. produced heavy zircon mineral concentrates at mining and processing operations near Starke, FL and Nahunta, GA. In California, Twin Pines Minerals LLC reprocessed stockpiled mine tailings to produce heavy mineral concentrates containing titanium and zircon. Trade According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. zircon concentrate exports totaled 11 kt (ZrO2 equivalent weight) with a value of $31 million in 2022, 12 percent greater on a quantity basis than those in the prior year. In 2022, China (37 percent), India (20 percent) and Mexico (12 percent) were the leading destinations of U.S. exports of zircon concentrates. In 2022, the United States imported 35 kt (ZrO2 equivalent weight) of zircon concentrates with a value of $108 million, 1.9 times greater on a quantity basis than those in the prior year (Fig. 1). The leading import sources, in descending order of quantity, were Australia (46 percent), South Africa (35 percent) and Senegal (15 percent). China, the leading global consumer of zircon concentrates, imported an estimated 790 kt (ZrO2 equivalent weight) of zircon concentrates with a value of $1.4 billion. Prices On a gross weight basis, the average U.S. zircon export unit value in 2022 was $1,820/t, a 10 percent increase from that in the previous year. The average annual U.S. zircon import unit values increased by 35 percent to $1,940/t of gross weight (Fig. 2). For comparison in global markets, China’s average annual zircon unit value of imports was $1,160/t, almost a 40 percent increase compared with $832/t in 2021. Outlook Consumption of zircon is tied to growth in the global economy. According to the World Bank, the global economic growth rate was expected to slow to 1.7 percent in 2023, one of weakest rates in three decades. The ceramics, chemicals, refractories and foundry and casting applications are expected to continue to lead the consumption of zircon. According to a leading mineral sands producer, declining mining grades were expected to constrain long-term supply.

ZIRCONIUM

Authored by:
Joseph Gambogi

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

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