Fluorite

Fluorite, also known as fluorite, is mainly composed of calcium fluoride (CaF2). Fluorite is a world-class scarce resource similar to rare earths. Countries such as China, the United States, the European Union, and Japan classify fluorite as a "strategic mineral" or "key mineral," while the United States classifies fluorite as a "crisis mineral.
The main source of fluorine element: Fluorite is the most important source of fluorine element and also the starting point of the fluorine chemical industry chain. The fluorine chemical industry is known as the "golden industry" due to its products having high performance and high added value.
Widely used in multiple fields: Fluorite has a wide range of applications in information technology, new energy, high-end manufacturing, and other fields. In the field of information technology, hydrogen fluoride and fluorine-containing specialty gases are cleaning agents and etching gases for integrated circuits, semiconductors, etc; In the field of new energy, fluorite is used in the production of positive electrode materials and electrolytes for lithium batteries, and is also a necessary raw material for uranium enrichment and purification processing.
Strategic resource status: Fluorite has been included in the strategic resource list by multiple countries, highlighting its national security significance. The stable supply of fluorite resources is crucial for ensuring national economic security, defense security, and the development of strategic emerging industries.
Scarcity and Irreplaceability: Fluorite is a scarce and non renewable resource, with excellent quality and suitable for high-end industries, which makes it an irreplaceable strategic position in many high-tech industries.
In summary, the strategic significance of fluorite ore mainly lies in its role as the main source of fluorine element, its wide application in multiple fields, its position as a strategic resource, and its scarcity and irreplaceability.
Current status of fluorite mineral resources:
Global resource distribution
Fluorite mineral resources are widely distributed globally, but mainly concentrated in a few countries. Ranked by proven reserves, South Africa, China, and Mexico are the countries with the richest fluorite mineral resources in the world. In addition, Mongolia, Spain, Kenya, the United States, Iran, Morocco and other countries also have a certain amount of fluorite mineral resources.
Distribution of World Fluorite Reserves in 2022
Overview of China's Resources
1. Resource reserves
China is one of the major countries in the world with abundant fluorite mineral resources, and its proven reserves rank among the top in the world. However, with the increase of mining output, the guarantee degree of China's fluorite resources has decreased year by year, and it is no longer a dominant resource, which seriously threatens the safety of China's fluorite resources.
Distribution Map of Fluorite Reserves in Provinces of China in 2022
2. Types and distribution of mineral deposits
There are various types of fluorite deposits in China, mainly including sedimentary alteration type, hydrothermal filling type, and associated type. These mineral deposits are widely distributed in the northern, southeastern, and southwestern regions of China. Among them, sedimentary modified fluorite deposits are mostly distributed in the two major plate suture lines at the junction of China and Mongolia in northern China, as well as in areas with developed basic volcanic rocks in southwestern China; Hydrothermal filled fluorite deposits are mainly distributed in areas with frequent Cenozoic magmatic activity in eastern and southeastern China; The associated fluorite deposits are mainly distributed in the Wuyi Yunkai Taiwan orogenic system, Luoxiao Yunkai arc basin system, and Huaxia block.
3. Production and exports
China's fluorite production accounts for more than half of the world's, but in recent years, with the country's stricter control over fluorite resources, the export volume of fluorite has shown a downward trend. At the same time, the demand for fluorite in the domestic market continues to grow, especially in strategic emerging industries such as new energy and new materials, which are increasingly widely used, further promoting the prosperity of the fluorite market.
Resource development and utilization
1. Current status of development and utilization
The development and utilization of fluorite mines in China has a long history, but there have been problems such as extensive mining methods and serious resource waste for a long time. In recent years, with the increasing awareness of environmental protection and policy guidance, the development and utilization of fluorite mines have gradually shifted towards standardization and intensification. At the same time, the comprehensive utilization level of fluorite ore has been continuously improved, and the resource utilization rate and added value have been enhanced through methods such as beneficiation and deep processing.
2. Challenges faced
Although China has abundant fluorite resources, it faces challenges such as reduced resource security, increased mining difficulty, and increased environmental pressure. In addition, with the intensification of competition in the global fluorite market and changes in the international trade environment, China's fluorite industry is also facing certain market risks.
In summary, the current situation of China's fluorite mineral resources presents characteristics such as abundant reserves but reduced security, widespread distribution but increased difficulty in mining, strong market demand but increased environmental pressure. In the future, China's fluorite industry needs to continue to strengthen resource protection, improve development and utilization levels, and promote industrial upgrading and transformational development.
The prominent problems of fluorite mines in China are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
1. Overexploitation of resources and imbalance of reserve production ratio
Overexploitation: As the world's second largest reserve country, China's production of fluorite exceeds 60% of the total global production. This mismatch between high production and resource reserves has led to rapid depletion of resources.
Imbalance in reserve production ratio: According to USGS data, the reserve production ratio of China's fluorite resources in 2021 was only 7.78, far below the world average of 37.21. The serious imbalance in reserve production ratio means that the resource consumption rate is too fast, posing a threat to future supply.
2. Low comprehensive recovery rate and resource waste
Low comprehensive recovery rate: Currently, the comprehensive recovery rate of fluorite resources in China is only 51.43%, far below the ideal level, which has led to a significant waste of resources.
Environmental pollution: Low recovery rates are also accompanied by environmental pollution problems, such as improper treatment of wastewater, waste residue, etc. during the mining process, which can cause pollution to the surrounding environment.
3. The situation of safety production is severe
Illegal and irregular production: Some mining enterprises engage in illegal and irregular production behaviors in pursuit of high profits, such as unlicensed mining, unauthorized construction, and substitution of exploration for mining. These behaviors seriously disrupt market order and increase safety risks.
High inherent risks: Fluorite mines generally have inherent risks such as complex hydrogeological types, poor surrounding rock conditions, and severe water damage. In addition, some enterprises have inadequate safety management, resulting in frequent accidents.
4. Outdated mining technology and equipment
Low technological level: Some mining enterprises have relatively backward mining technology and equipment, which are difficult to adapt to the needs of modern mining development, resulting in low mining efficiency and serious resource waste.
Lack of innovation capability: Lack of innovation in the research and application of new technologies and equipment, making it difficult to promote the transformation and upgrading of fluorite mining.
5. Contradiction between market demand and supply
Strong market demand: With the rapid development of strategic emerging industries such as new energy and new materials, the demand for fluorite resources continues to grow.
Supply shortage: However, due to issues such as overexploitation of resources and low comprehensive recovery rates, the supply of fluorite in the Chinese market is becoming increasingly tight, and the supply-demand contradiction is becoming more prominent.
Optoelectronic beneficiation, as an emerging beneficiation technology, enriches low-grade fluorite ore by crushing it and pre sorting it in the block stage, achieving economic grade and fully utilizing fluorite ore resources. Alternatively, high-grade fluorite ore can be selected from the raw ore to enhance its economic value, while the use of specialized beneficiation equipment can improve the sorting efficiency of fluorite ore. Mingde Optoelectronics' ore color sorting machine, artificial intelligence sorting machine, and X-ray intelligent sorting machine can be used for sorting applications based on the characteristics of different fluorite ores.