Barite powder is derived from the mineral barite, composed of barium sulfate (BaSO₄). It forms in low-temperature hydrothermal veins and sedimentary rocks. The chemical composition includes 65.7% BaO and 34.3% SO₃. Substitutions of Sr, Pb, and Ca can also occur in its structure. Barite powder typically appears as plate-like, granular, fibrous aggregates, and crystal clusters. Some forms are dense, massive, cryptocrystalline, or soil-like. Stalactites and nodules with concentric band structures can also be found.
Barite Mineral Characteristics and Classification
- Pure barite is colorless and transparent.
- Impure barite may appear light blue, pink, dark gray, etc.
- It has low abrasion, good shielding properties, and can absorb X-rays and gamma rays.
- Barite is typically white, gray-white, light yellow, or light brown.
- It has a glassy luster and is transparent to translucent.
- Chemically stable, pure barite is insoluble in water and acid.
Barite is divided into high-purity barite, ultra-fine barite, and ultra-fine active barite.
Preparation Technology of Barite Powder
Preparation Technology of High Purity Barite Powder
Physical purification：
Hand selection: Select blocky barite based on the differences in color, density, and other characteristics compared to associated minerals.
Gravity separation: According to the density difference between barite and associated minerals, the raw ore is screened, crushed, grading desliming, jigging, shaking table and other processes to obtain products with a grade of more than 88%.
Magnetic separation: It is commonly used to remove some iron oxide magnetic minerals, serving as raw material for barite with very low iron content, which is required for barium-based pharmaceutical products.
Chemical purification and whitening：
Flotation: For barite with very fine embedded particle sizes, physical methods for impurity removal are ineffective, so flotation is commonly used.
Chemical purification and whitening: Acid (or alkali) leaching, along with oxidation-reduction processes, is used to remove impurities such as carbon, iron, manganese, magnesium, and nickel from the ore.
Calcining and whitening: Hydrothermal barite absorbs heat and undergoes explosive breaking at high temperatures, causing the color-causing organic matter distributed within the barite crystals or gaps to volatilize.
Preparation Technology of Ultra-fine Barite Powder
Dry process:
Jaw crusher, ball mill air classifier → baking oven → washing → dilute pickling → pulping → reaction kettle pickling reduction → filter press → washing → filter press → drying → crushing → packaging → product
Wet process:
Stirring mill, vibration mill, ball mill→ modifier or precipitant→ hydroxide or hydrated oxide→ coating film→ washing→ drying→ roasting→ fixing→ product.
Preparation Technology of Ultrafine Active Barite Powder
- Surface Chemical Encapsulation: Modifier molecules cover the surface, resulting in a modified product.
- Mechanical-Chemical Modification: Activates the particle surface, enhancing the reactivity of BaSO₄ with other organic materials.
- Capsulation Modification: A homogeneous and certain thickness film covers the particle surface.
- High-Energy and Acid-Base Modification: Surface treatment using methods such as ultraviolet, infrared, corona discharge, and plasma irradiation.
Application of Barite Powder
Chemical Raw Materials:
Reagents and catalysts for beneficiation, paper production chemicals, additives for oils and fats, and production of plastics, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fireworks.
Drilling Mud Raw Materials:
Barite is usually relatively pure, soft, with a high relative density, chemically inert, and inexpensive. 80-90% of its production is used as a weighting agent in drilling mud.
Glass Raw Materials:
Barite is used in glass production to make the melt uniform and improve the brightness and transparency of the finished glass.
Chemical Fillers:
Barite powder is a general-purpose industrial filler, a good brightening agent and weighting agent. Chemically bleached barite powder is an excellent white pigment.
Other Applications:
Barite has good absorption properties for gamma radiation, making it useful as shielding material. It is also used as an adsorbent and binder in vacuum tubes, such as those in televisions.
Development Trend of Barite Powder Preparation Technology
The main preparation techniques for barite-based mineral materials are ultrafine processing and surface modification. However, there is still limited in-depth research on theoretical issues related to ultrafine barite processing, mechanochemical methods, interface chemistry, and doping modifications.
Barite is an abundant resource, with a large production output. Traditional barite minerals are mainly used in low-value-added fields, such as petroleum and petrochemicals, resulting in low product utilization and limited value.
We must shift the traditional thinking of applying barite to exploring how to combine mineral composition, chemical structure, surface properties, and other relevant characteristics. This includes developing simple modification processes, studying cost-effective, non-toxic surface modifiers, and promoting the development of barite processing, comprehensive utilization of barite, and enhancing the global competitiveness of China’s barite mineral powder.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the preparation of barite powder involves a series of carefully controlled processes, including ore selection, crushing, grinding, classification, and surface modification. Advanced technologies such as ultra-fine grinding and chemical purification are critical to achieving the desired particle size, purity, and functional properties. By optimizing these steps, manufacturers can produce high-quality barite powder tailored for industrial applications like oil drilling, coatings, and plastics, ensuring both economic efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Epic Powder
Epic Powder, 20+ years of work experience in the ultrafine powder industry. Actively promote the future development of ultra-fine powder, focusing on crushing,grinding,classifying and modification process of ultra-fine powder. Contact us for a free consultation and customized solutions! Our expert team is dedicated to providing high-quality products and services to maximize the value of your powder processing. Epic Powder—Your Trusted Powder Processing Expert !