Non-Metallic Minerals: An Overview

Non-metallic minerals are minerals that do not exhibit metallic properties and are not used as fuels. These minerals can be utilized after simple processing or even directly. The non-metallic minerals industry began in the late 1950s and saw rapid development from the 1980s onwards, evolving into a comprehensive sector encompassing exploration, mining, and ore processing.

Key Non-Metallic Minerals in China

China boasts significant reserves of over 70 types of non-metallic minerals, with leading global reserves of pyrite, gypsum, and barite. Other notable minerals include asbestos, fluorite, phosphate, talc, mica, graphite, kaolin, magnesite, limestone, bentonite, marble, salt, and trona. Additionally, diamond, gem, and jade deposits have been discovered in provinces like Shandong, Liaoning, and Xinjiang.

•  Xinjiang: Rich in 84 types of non-metallic minerals, with over 40 types developed and utilized. Notable reserves include muscovite, vermiculite, feldspar, and bentonite.

•  Hunan: Known as the "non-metallic mineral town," Hunan has proven reserves of 30 types of non-metallic minerals, including limestone, silica, dolomite, fluorite, pyrite, phosphate, boron, halite, Glauber's salt, arsenic ore, barytes, kaolin, graphite, gypsum, talc, silica sand, feldspar, sepiolite, and diamond.