Tin Mining
TIN :
Tin is a rare element present in the earth's crust with approximately 2 ppm when compared to iron with 50,000 ppm. It is a silvery white metal which is popular for its resistance to corrosion and gives other metals a polished look when coated. Even though there are nine tin-bearing ores deposited in the earth's crust, cassiterite is the only ore that is mined.
Usage
It is ideal for coating, soldering and in making alloys. Tin oxide is used pottery, tiles and glass making to give the white glaze. It is mainly used in canned foods for packaging containers. Copper vessels are often coated with tin to keep them bright looking.Tin is also used to make bronze when it is mixed with copper.
Resources:
Most of the world's tin is mined and produced in China, Malaysia, Bolivia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Nigeria and England. Countries such as Canada, Spain and Japan also produce a small amount of tin. About 80 percent of the tin is deposited on the alluvial soil or found along the seabed.
https://www.internationaltin.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Global-Resources-Reserves-2020-Update.pdf
Tin mining
The tin in the land is recovered either by open pit mining or underground mining. When it is present on the seabed, it is mined by dredging the seabed.
Underground mining:
The ore of the tin is generally deposited in veins like the granites and are recovered by the underground mining methods. These are commonly seen in Countries like Bolivia and the United Kingdom. In hard rock mining, different methods are preferred according to the tin ore deposits. When the ore is removed, it is broken into small pieces for easy transportation.
Surface mining:
The shallow deposits of the fine grained minerals that are deposited on the riverbeds or the valleys are the more productive alluvial fields. The ore present in this area is recovered by the process of the open pit mining. Gravel pumping is one of the several surface mining techniques that is used to mine the large portion of the tin ore. First process is to remove the barren overburden that lies over the ore of the tin by draglines or shovels. The hard tin bearing sand is dislodged by allowing the water in high pressure to form the slurry. The slurry of mud and water is then sucked up by the submerged gravel pump. It is then passed through the series of the sluice boxes or palongs to separate the elements. The cassiterite which is the heaviest mineral will fall to the bottom, while the lighter waste is carried away to the tailing dumps.
dredging:
In case if the ores are deposited in places where the water is located at or below the water level the alluvial deposits are flooded by diverting a river. They are also brought up by floating dredge and stored in an artificial pond for recovering tin. A mining dredge that has an endless bucket is floated to dig and lift the ore tin bearing ore. It is then sent to the primary processing plant for further treatment.
The concentrated ores are recovered by gravity separation methods, jigs and shaking tables. While the waste material is discharged over the stern. Countries like Bolivia have impure ore, while the alluvial mining areas of Southeast Asia are free of impurities or contain trace amounts of minerals like wolframite, scheelite and columbite. They can produce up to 75 percent pure tin from these ores.
Extraction and refining;
To remove the sulphur from the complex ore, the ores are first roasted in the reverberatory hearth furnace at 550 and 650 degree celsius. After roasting it is followed by the process of leaching with water or acid to remove the waste materials. Oxidation, reduction and chlorination reaction takes place as per the type and quantity of the impurities in the ore.
The principle of producing tin is,The tin oxide is allowed to heat with carbon to produce the metal tin and carbon dioxide. The other materials like limestone, silica and salt are often used to process and refine tin.
Refining of tin is done by two processes according to the usage. Fire refining is a generally used process to produce 99.85 percent of tin. It is used in case of commercial purposes. Electrolytic refining is employed in case of treating the complex ores. It produces a high grade of tin(99.999 percent).
The secondary tin is used to produce the alloy directly from tin containing scraps. Bearings, solder alloys and bronze are the important source of the tin scraps. Electrolytic refining is commonly employed for the production of the secondary tin.
Mines and reserves:
China:
China is the one to have great reserves in the world. The country has about 4.5 million tonnes of resources, of which 1.2 million tonnes are reserves. Till now there are 293 producing sites that have been exploited including main areas like Dachang, Shanhu and Shuiyanba of Guangxi Province, Xianghualing, Dongchuan of Yunnan Province, Hongqiling and Yejiwei of Hunan province. The output of tin in China exceeds all other countries by 30%.
Indonesia:
Indonesia is the second largest producer of tin with an estimated amount of 77.5 kilo tonnes. PT Timah, the state run company holds 96% of the local source present in that country.
Bolivia:
Cassiterite is the main ore that is available in Bolivia. Huanuni tin mine in Bolivia was invented accidentally in 1940. It is the one of the largest underground mines to produce tin on a daily basis. In Bolivia, the complex sulphide ore which is present in the underground should go through complicated mineral processing to produce a clean tin concentrate. However, it can only give 50 to 60 percent of concentrated tin. Although it is one of the world's leading tin producers, it faced many economic problems. The presence of ore in the high altitude or at great depth lead to increase the overall cost of the production. Thus, it fell from the second to the fifth position among tin producers.
England:
The tin mining industry in Dartmoor, England is located in the granite country rock. From streaming, open pit mining to underground mining, the cassiterite is extracted from almost all techniques to produce tin.
Peru:
Minsur's San Rafael Mine which started in the year 1975 have dominated the tin mining industry for the last decade providing 550 kilo tonnes of tin. The Ayawilca project in the Pasco department concentrated mostly on the production of zinc, even then the project had recovered over 90 kilo tonnes of tin.
TOP TIN PRODUCING COUNTRIES :
The top tin producing countries in the world are:
1.China: China is the world's leading tin producer, producing an estimated 130,000 metric tonnes of tin in 2019. Most of China's tin is produced in the Yunnan province.
2. Indonesia:Indonesia is the second-largest tin producer in the world, with an estimated production of 85,000 metric tonnes in 2019. Indonesia is the largest exporter of tin in the world, with exports estimated at more than 79,000 metric tonnes in 2019.
3. Peru: Peru is the third-largest tin producer in the world, producing an estimated 51,000 metric tonnes of tin in 2019. Peru is also the second-largest exporter of tin in the world, with exports estimated at more than 38,000 metric tonnes in 2019.
4. Bolivia: Bolivia is the fourth-largest tin producer in the world, producing an estimated 32,000 metric tonnes of tin in 2019. Bolivia is also the third-largest exporter of tin in the world, with exports estimated at more than 28,000 metric tonnes in 2019.
5. Brazil: Brazil is the fifth-largest tin producer in the world, producing an estimated 19,000 metric tonnes of tin in 2019. Brazil is also the fourth-largest exporter of tin in the world, with exports estimated at more than 15,000 metric tonnes in 2019.
ANNUAL TIN USAGE
:
Tin is a malleable, ductile metal that is often used for a variety of purposes. Tin is widely used in manufacturing, and its properties make it an ideal component for many applications. Tin is the primary component of solder, a metal alloy used to join electrical components and other metal surfaces. Tin is also used in the production of cans and containers for food and beverages. Tin is also used in the production of pipes, and it is a component of many alloys used in the automotive industry. Tin is also used in the production of coins and jewelry, as well as in the production of various electrical components. Tin is also used in the production of paints, as well as in the production of various building materials. Tin is also used in the production of batteries and other electrical components, and it is a component of various electrical alloys. Finally, tin is also used in the production of alloys used in the aerospace industry.
TIN PRODUCTION IN THE WORLD :
The global tin production industry is dominated by a few major players. The top five producers of tin are China, Indonesia, Peru, Bolivia, and Myanmar. China is the world's largest producer, with an estimated 31% of global production in 2020. Indonesia is the second-largest producer, with an estimated 11% of the global production. Peru and Bolivia are the third- and fourth-largest producers, with an estimated 8% and 7% of the global production, respectively. Myanmar is the fifth-largest producer, with an estimated 4% of the global production.
The production of tin is mainly concentrated in Asia, with China, Indonesia, and Myanmar accounting for the majority of global production. However, other regions also produce tin, including Latin America (Peru and Bolivia), Africa (Nigeria and Congo), and Europe (Portugal). Tin is primarily used in the production of tin alloys, including solder, pewter, and bronze. It is also used in the production of various tin-based chemicals, such as tin oxide and tin-based pigments, as well as in the manufacture of tin containers, such as cans and aerosol containers. Tin is also used in the electronics industry and in the production of jewelry and coins.
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