Barytes / Barite

Barytes / Barite

Barite or Barytes  is chemically naturally occurring Barium Sulphate (BaSO4) with nodular particle structure. It receives its name from the Greek word “barys” which means “heavy.” This name is in response to barite’s high specific gravity of 4.5, which is exceptional for a nonmetallic mineral. The high specific gravity of barite makes it suitable for a wide range of industrial, medical and manufacturing uses.  Barite also serves as the principal ore of barium.

Most barite produced is used as a weighting agent in drilling muds. These high-density muds are pumped down the drill stem, exit through the cutting bit and return to the surface between the drill stem and the wall of the well. This flow of fluid does two things: 1) it cools the drill bit; and, 2) the high-density barite mud suspends the rock cuttings produced by the drill and carries them up to the surface. Barite has a hardness of 2.5 to 3.5 on Mohs hardness scale.

Barite is also used as a pigment in paints and as a weighted filler for paper, cloth and rubber. The paper used to make some playing cards has barite packed between the paper fibers. This gives the paper a very high density that allows the cards to be “dealt” easily to players around a card table. Barite is used as a weighting filler in rubber to make “anti-sail” mud flaps for trucks. Barite is the primary ore of barium, which is used to make a wide variety of barium compounds. Some of these are used for x-ray shielding. Barite has the ability to block x-ray and gamma-ray emissions. Barite is used to make high-density concrete to block x-ray emissions in hospitals, power plants, and laboratories.

Barite compounds are also used in diagnostic medical tests. If a patient drinks a small cup of liquid that contains a barium powder in a milkshake consistency, the liquid will coat the patient’s esophagus. An x-ray of the throat taken immediately after the “barium swallow” will image the soft tissue of the esophagus (which is usually transparent to x-rays) because the barium is opaque to x-rays and blocks their passage. A “barium enema” can be used in a similar way to image the shape of the colon.

The oil and gas industry is the primary user of barite worldwide. There it is used as a weighting agent in drilling mud. This is a growth industry, as global demand for oil and natural gas has been on a long-term increase. In addition, the long-term drilling trend is more feet of drilling per barrel of oil produced. China and India are the leading producers of barite and they also have the largest reserves. The United States does not produce enough barite to supply its domestic needs. In 2011 the United States produced about 700,000 metric tons of barite and imported about 2,300,000 metric tons. Barite is naturally occurring Barium Sulphate  [chemical formula is BaSO4]. Synonyms of Barite includes Barytes, Barium Sulphate, heavy barite etc.

Barite properties:

Supplied in super snow white (SSW) and off color and it is a fine flow powder. It is insoluble in water and has low oil absorption. This coupled with strong crystalline structure and high refractive index helps it to impart strength. Barite is generally easy to identify. It is one of just a few nonmetallic minerals with a specific gravity of four or higher. Combine that with its low hardness and its three directions of right angle cleavage, and the mineral can usually be reliably identified with just three observations. This makes it a very essential mineral in our day-to-day life.

It has the unique distinction of having high specific gravity of 4.5, being insoluble in water and remaining comparatively unaffected by acids. Its principal use is as a weighting agent in the preparation of drilling mud. It is also found useful in the manufacture of barium chemicals and white paints. To a user extent it is used in the glass and explosive industries and as filler in rubber, leather, textile and paper goods. Barite needs to be pulverized before use in the above industries.

Barite Chemical Properties/Composition :

Barite Physical Properties :

Special Features :

• Low oil demand.
• Easy dispersibility.
• Chemically insert. Unaffected by acids and alkali.
• Highly stable at high temp.

Barite Industrial Applications & Uses :

•  Paint : Used as filler in paint industries and construction chemicals for primer, undercoat and putties.
• Plastic : Used as filler in plastics.
• Construction: Highly recommended for floor coatings, water proofing compounds, sealants etc.

Barite Price in India (Our suggested Barite grades):