Strontium Mining

Strontium is an alkaline earth metal and 15th most abundant element found on earth. It has similar characteristics as calcium and barium.

Ore:

The chief natural ores of strontium are Celestine and strontianite. It is found as strontium sulfate (SrSO4) in Celestine and strontium carbonate (SrCO3) in strontianite.

Mining:

The Celestine and strontianite ores are mined from the earth by surface mining. In surface mining, open pit method is employed. In the primary step; the quality of strontium ores from the selected area is examined. The distribution of ore in the area is also measured. The mine is only established after the analyzed reports have needed requirements. The mine is made of wall benches in step-down alignment. In-pit ramps are also carved as roads for transportation of ores, labor, waste and machineries.

The strontium ores are mined by drilling and blasting. The excavated ores are collected and transported by trucks to the nearby processing unit. A waste pool is dug inside the mine for disposal of ore tailings from the initial processing unit usually comprises of poisonous sulfur particles. The open pit mining is commonly executed for its low cost, easy shut down and fewer risks compared to other mining techniques.

Processing and extraction:

The collected raw ores of strontium are crushed and grounded into tiny particles. The strontium sulfate from Celestine which is the largest contributor of strontium is converted into strontium carbonate by leaching with sodium carbonate or roasting with coal. The strontium carbonate resulted is used as the colorant for fireworks.

For the production of metal, strontium oxide is reduced by aluminum. It can also be produced from electrolysis process of strontium chloride.The 75% of the world's strontium production from China and the remaining are from Mexico and Spain.

Definition:

The most ordinary strontium mineral, celestite, which consists mainly of strontium sulfate, was imported exclusively from Mexico. A company in Georgia was the only major U.S. producer of strontium compounds, and analysis of celestite import data indicates that production at this operation has decreased substantially since 2001.

Properties:

Strontium is a grey/silvery metal that is softer than calcium and even more reactive in water, with which strontium reacts on contact to manufacture strontium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. It burns in air to produce both strontium oxide and strontium nitride, but since it does not react with nitrogen below 380?C it will only form the oxide spontaneously at room temperature.

Application:

Sr is the active component in Metastron, a radiopharmaceutical used for bone pain secondary to metastatic bone cancer. The strontium acts like calcium and is preferentially included into bone at sites of increased osteogenesis. This localization focuses the radiation exposure on the cancerous lesion.
Sr is also used in cancer therapy. Its beta emission and long half-life is ideal for superficial radiotherapy.
Strontium is one of the constituents of AJ62 alloy, a durable magnesium alloy used in car and motorcycle engines by BMW.