Mineral Sand Trends
Market overview of the heavy minerals industry
Summary: Mineral sands are the source materials for titanium, titanium oxide and zircon, which are currently in great demand due to their valuable specific properties. For instance, China‘s zircon consumption grew by an annual average of 17.2 % between 1990 and 2009. Mineral sands naturally occur in relatively small concentrations, so that specialized preparation systems equipped with spiral separators, electrostatic separators and magnetic separators are required. This report presents an overview of the industry with the most important market data, companies active on the sector and these companies‘ plants and projects.
1 Introduction
Mineral sands, also commonly called heavy minerals because of their relatively high specific density compared to sand (more than 4 kg/m3), are an important source of various titanium raw materials and zircon. These metals and their oxides have become extremely important for various sectors of industry. The world market has a value amounting to several tens of billions of US dollars. A further growth of the relevant industrial sectors is forecast for the coming years. China‘s zircon consumption, for instance, grew by an annual average of 17.2 % between 1990 and 2009. The light...
