Barite: A Naturally Occurring Mineral Vitally Used in Different Industries

Barite is the most common mineral composed of barium and sulfate, which usually occurs naturally in sedimentary rocks, hydrothermal ore veins, as well as in marine deposits. Owing to the versatile properties of this mineral, it is widely utilized for a range of industrial, automobile, and medical sector. Barite is also used as a weighting agent in the gas & oil industry. This mineral is used in medical applications for x-rays and gamma rays, in oil drilling operations for cooling the bits, and also manufacturing of paints.

The Applications of Barite in Different Industries

The analyst of Research Dive states that the use of barite is progressively gaining importance in many industrial sectors. One of the leading industrial barium sulfates manufactures in the United States, Excalibar Minerals LLC, introduced ExBAr HD Series of Barium Sulfate. According to the report, the ExBar HD series provides a very high density that contributes to radiation blocking, improved adhesion, and exceptional noise deadening.

The different industries relying on barite are listed below.

• Painting Industry

Barite is a great replacement to expensive materials that are used for painting. It is a wonderful replacement to crypton, basofor, monox, and titanium dioxide, which are used for filling. The mineral is also very helpful in regulating the thickness of the paint, and also very effective in increasing the stability of the paint that adds more brightness to the color.

Barite is used as an extender for primers as it provides a very clean whiteness. It is extremely useful in giving smoothness to chemical resistance to the walls and undercoats, which gives beautiful smooth walls. It has high resistance to alkalis, acids, and high refractive index and bulk density, which makes it the high on demand mineral in the paint industry.

• Plastic Industry

Barite is used in the plastic industry as a filler to create colorful plastics, as it is very effective in improving the intensity, stiffness, and abrasive strength. This makes the plastic attractive in appearance and stronger in strength.

• Paper-Making Industry

In paper-making industry, barite is used for its pure white color. White coat paper and paperboards are filled with highly refined barite powder, which improves the whiteness of the product. The mineral when used in paper-making also increases the percentage of exposure, and hence the pure white look.

Barite is also used as weighted filler for cloth, rubber, paper and also used as a pigment in paints. Additionally, it is also filled between the playing cards between the paper fibers that gives the paper a very high density. This makes the cards easy to play around the card table for the players.

• Rubber Industry

Barite minerals when used for less than 500 mesh for filling reduces the cost at a certain level for the rubber products. This increases the life of the rubber product as the product becomes waterproof and its durability increases as well. The strength of the product increases making it resistant to alkali and acid.

• Pharmaceutical Industry

Barite is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. It is used a filler for plaster and also used to extend the time limit of plaster. In addition, the mineral is also used as barium meal material for intestine and stomach reflections. Barites are also very effective in blocking gamma rays and x-rays emission in laboratories, power plants, and hospitals.

Barite is also helpful in diagnostic medical tests. For instance, if a patient is given a small cup of liquid containing barium powder before taking an X-ray, the liquid will cover the patient’s esophagus. Since barium is opaque in nature, immediately after swallowing the barium liquid, a soft tissue image of the esophagus will be seen.

• Cosmetics Industry

Barite has a mild and gentle effect when applied on the skin and hence it is very popular in the cosmetics industry. Titanium oxide is an expensive mineral, which makes barite an amazing substitute in the cosmetic industry.

Barite Market Stimulators

According to Research Dive, increased investments by the prominent players to boost the production and exploration of barite is the major trend being observed in the global barite market. A large number of market players are focusing on expanding their production capacity owing to the large-scale application of the mineral in various industries. Thus, investments by these companies are resulting in the upgradation of existing mines, exploration of new mines, and development of production facilities.

The major players in the market that are contributing in the growth of the global barite market include Apmdc, Mil-Spec Industries Corporation, Desku Group Inc., Halliburton Co., International Earth Products LLC, Ashapura Group., Kaomin Industries, Seaforth Mineral & Ore Co. Inc., Excalibar Minerals LLC, and Milwhite Inc. These key players are initiating various steps to strengthen their existence in the global market.

The Market Scenario

The past few years, has witnessed a high demand for barite in several areas such as oil & gas, paints & coating, rubber & plants, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and adhesives. Barite exhibits a high-density physical property and is relatively inert. In drilling muds, barite is widely used as a weighting agent. Barite also finds other applications in the electronics and electrical, rubber, paints radiation shielding, ceramics, medical, and glass industry among others. These factors will assist in significant growth of the global market in the coming years.

At present, the global barite market is rapidly progressing and is all set to upsurge in the future. As per Research Dive report, the global barite market is anticipated to garner a revenue of $4,316.7 million, and will rise at 6.1% CAGR during the forecast period. This is primarily due to the rising demand of energy from nations all over the globe. Government in various regions are also taking initiatives in improving the minerals quality, which will boost the market growth. However, the less operational cost of the alternatives to barite will hinder the growth of the global market.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.