Introduction
The term "minerals" refers to the homogenous materials that naturally occur under various conditions and in many sorts of geological environments. In general, it can be divided into two groups: metallic minerals and non-metallic minerals. Physical characteristics are used to identify minerals, which have a distinct chemical structures.
Economics Uses of Minerals
Non-metallic minerals or energy minerals are the most commonly used minerals for economic purposes. They are utilized in the agriculture, transportation, and electricity industries, among other things. Aside from nonmetallic minerals, precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum have significant economic value.
Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are the basic fuels used in thermal power generation, vehicle engines, cosmetic industries, synthetic rubber production, and many other applications.
Have you ever wondered what the roads we walk on or the houses we live in are made of? These are created from construction minerals such as sand, gravel, clay, or crushed rocks, which are utilized in the production of bricks, concrete, and so on. It is only because of automobiles that run on petrol that we can go numerous kilometers in a matter of minutes. If we see the world around us illuminated and brightened even in the dark, it is only due to the e
electrical energy produced by various metals and energetic minerals. Mineral resources are used extensively, and mineral depletion can have major consequences for human survival.
Overall, we can state that minerals are used in everything from the chalk we use to write on blackboards to the buses we use to get to school. In reality, minerals make up the entire world and all living things around us. Minerals' diverse variety of applications is due to their unique chemical and physical qualities. This is why minerals are such an important element of our daily lives and research. The more we study it, the more we realize how powerful minerals may be in making human life easier and more sophisticated.
Metallic Minerals vs Non-Metallic Minerals
Non-metallic minerals do not contain any metals, whereas metallic minerals are made up of metals in their natural state. An ore is a site where metals can be discovered. An ore is any substance that is concentrated with additional components and found in a certain location as rocks. Minerals can be extracted through mining, drilling, and quarrying.
Difference Between Metallic Minerals vs Non-Metallic Minerals in Tabular Form
| Parameters of Comparison | Metallic Minerals | Non-Metallic Minerals |
| Definition | Metallic minerals are minerals that are made up of raw metals. | Non-metallic minerals are minerals that do not contain minerals. |
| Found in | Igneous and metamorphic rocks | Sedimentary rocks |
| New Product | On melting, it can provide a new product. | When it is melted, it produces no new product. |
| Heat and Electricty | Excellent heat and electricity conductors | Excellent heat and electricity insulators |
| Malleability and Ductility | These are malleable and ductile materials. | These are not malleable or ductile. |
| Luster | They have luster | They do not have luster |
What are Metallic Minerals?
Metallic minerals, as the name implies, are minerals that are made up of metals. These are hard compounds that transfer heat and electricity well. They have their radiance. Metallic minerals include iron, copper, gold, bauxite, manganese, and others.
Hard metallic minerals can be utilized in jewelry as jewels. These are also utilized in a variety of industries for a variety of reasons, such as silicon (obtained from quartz), which is widely used in the computer business, and aluminum (obtained from bauxite), which is widely used in the automobile and bottling industries.
Metallic minerals are divided into two types:
- Ferrous Mineral: Ferrous minerals are minerals that contain iron. Ferrous metallic minerals account for one-fourth of total metallic mineral output. Iron ore, manganese, nickel, and chromite are among their constituents.
- Non-ferrous Minerals: Non-ferrous metallic minerals are those that are composed of a metal other than iron. They are frequently employed in our daily lives. It comprises gold, copper, silver, lead, tin, and other metals.
Uses of Metallic Minerals
- Construction: Metallic minerals such as iron and steel are used in the construction industry to make buildings, bridges, and other structures.
- Automotive: Metallic minerals such as aluminum and copper are used in the automotive industry to make car bodies, engines, and other components.
- Aerospace: Metallic minerals such as titanium and aluminum are used in the aerospace industry to make aircraft and spacecraft.
Properties of Metallic Minerals
- High Luster: Metallic minerals have a high luster, which means that they reflect light well, making them shine like metals.
- Opaque: Metallic minerals are opaque, which means that they do not allow light to pass through them. This property makes them ideal for use in manufacturing products that require high strength and durability.
- Good Conductors of Heat and Electricity: Metallic minerals are good conductors of heat and electricity. This property makes them ideal for use in the production of electrical wires and other electronic devices.
Iron Ore
They are commercially mined rocks and minerals for metallic iron. Iron oxides are abundant in ores and range in color from dark grey to dazzling yellow to deep purple to rusty red. "Natural ore" or "straight shipping ore" is ore with a high concentration of hematite or magnetite (greater than 60% iron) that can be fed directly into blast furnaces to manufacture iron.
Iron ore is needed as a raw material to generate pig iron, which is used to make steel—steel accounts for 98 percent of all mined iron ore.
India’s Iron Ore Belts
The following are the major iron ore belts:
- Badampahar mines in the Odisha districts of Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar contain high-grade hematite ore. Hematite iron ore is extracted in the nearby Singhbhum district of Jharkhand at Gua and Noamundi. The districts of Palamau and Singhbhum in Jharkhand are notable hematite iron ore producers.
- The Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur Belt is made up of the states of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. This belt is known for its high-grade hematite, which can be found in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district's Bailadila range of hills. In the hills, there are 14 occurrences of super high-quality hematite iron ore. It has the best physical properties needed for steel manufacturing. The port of Vishakhapatnam is mostly used for export to Japan and South Korea.
- Karnataka has large iron ore reserves in the Ballari - Chitradurga - Chikkamagaluru - Takakura Belt. The Kudremukh mines in Karnataka's Western Ghats are entirely export-oriented. The Kudremukh deposits are thought to be among the largest in the world. A pipeline transports the ore as a slurry to a port near Mangalore.
- The state of Goa and the Maharashtra district of Ratnagiri are both included in this belt; nevertheless, the ore in this belt is not of high quality, but it is used efficiently. Iron ore is exported through the port of Marmagao.
What are Non-Metallic Minerals?
Non-metallic minerals are those that do not contain any metals. Non-metallic minerals include limestone, manganese, mica, gypsum, coal, dolomite, phosphate, salt, granite, and others.
Non-metallic minerals are utilized in a variety of industries to create a variety of goods; for example, mica is widely used in the electrical and electronics industries, and limestone is widely used in the cement business. These are also utilized in the manufacture of fertilizers and refractories.
Types of Non- Metallic Minerals:
- Rocks & Stones: Sandstone, basalt, granite, marble, and limestone, among others.
- Minerals used in industry include clay, kaolin, gypsum, silica sand, talc, and feldspar.
- Materials used in construction include bricks, cement, sand, and gravel.
- Mineral fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas.
- Gemstones and precious minerals, such as diamonds and emeralds.
Uses of Non-Metallic Minerals:
- Construction: Non-metallic minerals such as limestone and gypsum are used in the construction industry to make cement and plaster.
- Agriculture: Non-metallic minerals such as phosphate and potash are used in the agriculture industry to make fertilizers.
- Pharmaceuticals: Non-metallic minerals such as talc and kaolin are used in the pharmaceutical industry to make medicine.
Properties of Non-Metallic Minerals:
- Translucent or Transparent: Non-metallic minerals are usually translucent or transparent, which means that they allow light to pass through them. This property makes them ideal for use in the production of glass and ceramics.
- Poor Conductors of Heat and Electricity: Non-metallic minerals do not conduct heat or electricity. This property makes them ideal for use in the insulation industry.
- Soft: Non-metallic minerals are generally soft and are easy to break. This property makes them ideal for use in the production of abrasives.
Mica
A non-metallic material called mica is frequently employed in many different industries. A translucent mineral called mica is present in igneous rocks. Mica crystals may be separated into incredibly thin, elastic plates with ease. Mica comes in two basic varieties: muscovite and biotite. Mica sheets and blocks are mostly used for electrical insulation in electronic equipment. It also functions as an asphalt and cement filler as a foundation for buildings. Because of its glossy, sparkling appearance, it makes the perfect toothpaste and cosmetic.
India accounts for more than 60% of the world's sheet mica production and exports. In Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, and the states of those four, there are significant amounts of pegmatite that contain mica. China and Finland are the two countries that produce the most mica worldwide.
Uses:
- It adds gloss to wallpaper by being utilized in them.
- Additionally, it is utilized in heating elements, insulating sheets between commutator segments, and electrical condensers.
Limestone
The main component of limestone, a sedimentary rock, is calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The majority of its applications are in the building. Cement is made by heating clay and powdered limestone. It is an essential ingredient in toothpaste. Limestone is also used to clean pollutants out of blast furnaces used to make steel. The states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh produce the majority of the world's limestone. The top three countries in the world for limestone production are China, the United States, and India.
Uses of Limestone
- Limestone is employed in the construction industry as well as used as an aggregate in the manufacture of cement, concrete, and mortar.
- It is used to raise the pH of the soil and lessen the impacts of soil acidification in order to improve soil quality.
- In order to eliminate impurities during the manufacturing of iron and steel, limestone is employed as a flux.
- A variety of compounds, such as calcium oxide (quicklime), calcium hydroxide (slaked lime), and calcium carbonate, are produced using limestone as a raw material.
- Among other things, limestone is also used to make glass, paint, paper, and sugar.
Magnesite
Magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) makes up the mineral known as magnesite. Magnesite is used in the production of synthetic rubber, magnesium compounds, and fertilizers as a refractory material, catalyst, filler, and raw material. Magnesite is mostly found in Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan, with smaller concentrations in Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala. Russia is the leading manufacturer, followed by Slovakia and China.
Uses of Magnesite
- Magnesite is used to make refractory materials, which are utilized in furnaces, kilns, and other industrial applications to endure high temperatures and corrosive environments.
- Magnesite is utilized as a source of the chemical magnesium oxide (MgO), which is necessary for the creation of a number of compounds, such as fertilizers, abrasives, and building supplies.
- Magnesite is applied to soil as an amendment to increase soil fertility and decrease acidity.
- Additionally, magnesium metal, magnesium salts, and magnesium hydroxide are made using magnesite.
Main Difference Between Metallic Minerals and Non-Metallic Minerals in Points
The distinction between metallic and non-metallic minerals is easily discernible on the following grounds:
- Metallic minerals are defined as minerals that contain metals in their natural state. On the flip side, non-metallic minerals are those that don't contain any kind of metal.
- Metallic minerals can be found in igneous and metamorphic rock formations. Non-metallic minerals, on the other hand, can be found in sedimentary rocks and young fold mountains.
- Metallic minerals produce a new product when melted, but non-metallic minerals produce no new product when melted.
- Copper, for example, is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. Non-metallic minerals, such as mica, insulate heat and electricity.
- Metallic minerals are unable to break down into bits when repeatedly pounded, and they can be drawn into thin wires. Non-metallic minerals, on the other hand, frequently break down into fragments when hammered and cannot be formed into wires or sheets.
- Non-metallic minerals are not lustrous, whereas metallic minerals have their own unique sheen.
Minerals are the country's natural resources with numerous applications. Because mineral formation and concentration require hundreds of years, it is a limited and non-renewable resource. As a result, conservation is critical, which can be accomplished through metal recycling. Finally, it should be noted that there are numerous sources from which we can obtain knowledge on mineralogy. The article 'Uses of Minerals' is a fantastic place to start for students who are new to the subject. It is a comprehensive resource with information on the most prevalent minerals and their applications.
