Nigeria is blessed with abundant mineral resources and most of these remain untapped. The country is so blessed with solid minerals and in large quantities too. Due to presence of oil in the country as well the government has not devoted enough time to the solid mineral sector although it has started by declaring its intension to support investors in this sector. This it has done by streamlining the process of acquisition of mining title and setting aside solid mineral support fund for investors in the sector. One of such mineral that Nigeria has in abundance is BERYLLIUM
Beryllium is a chemical element with symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a relatively rare element in the universe, usually occurring as a product of the spallation of larger atomic nuclei that have collided with cosmic rays. Within the cores of stars beryllium is depleted as it is fused and creates larger elements. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl (aquamarine, emerald) and chrysoberyl. As a free element it is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal. Beryllium is a hard and light metal that has a high melting point and unique nuclear properties, which make it vital to numerous aerospace and military applications.
Characteristics:
Pure beryllium is an extremely light, strong and brittle metal. With a density of 1.85g/cm3, beryllium is the second lightest elemental metal, behind only lithium. The grey-colored metal is valued as an alloying element because of its high melting point, resistance to creep and shear, as well as its high tensile strength and flexural rigidity. Although only about one-quarter the weight of steel, beryllium is six times as strong.
Like aluminum, beryllium metal forms an oxide layer on its surface that helps to resist corrosion. The metal is both non-magnetic and non-sparking, these properties of beryllium is valued in the oil and gas field. Beryllium has a high thermal conductivity over a range of temperatures and excellent heat dissipation properties.
Beryllium’s low x-ray absorption cross section and high neutron scattering cross section make it ideal for x-ray windows and as a neutron reflector and neutron moderator in nuclear applications. Although the element has a sweet taste, it is corrosive to tissue and inhalation can lead to a chronic, life-threatening allergic disease known as berylliosis.
Production:
Beryllium is extracted from two types of ores; beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) and bertrandite (Be4Si2O7(OH)2). While Beryl generally has a higher beryllium content (three to five percent by weight), it is more difficult to refine than bertrandite, which on average contains less than 1.5 percent beryllium. The refining processes of both ores, however, are similar and can be carried out in a single facility. Because of its added hardness, beryl ore must first be pretreated by melting in an electric arc furnace. The molten material is then plunged into water, producing a fine powder referred to as ‘frit’.
Crushed bertrandite ore and frit are first treated with sulfuric acid, which dissolves beryllium and other metals present; resulting in a water-soluble sulfate.The beryllium-containing sulfate solution is diluted with water and fed into tanks that contain hydrophobic organic chemicals. While beryllium attaches to the organic material, the water-based solution retains iron, aluminum, and other impurities. This solvent extraction process can be repeated until the desired beryllium content is concentrated in the solution.
The beryllium concentrate is next treated with ammonium carbonate and heated, thereby precipitating beryllium hydroxide (BeOH2). High purity beryllium hydroxide is the input material for major applications of the element, including copper beryllium alloys, beryllia ceramics, and pure beryllium metal manufacturing. In order to produce high-purity beryllium metal, the hydroxide form is dissolved in ammonium bifluoride and heated to above 1652°F (900°C), creating a molten beryllium fluoride.
After being cast into molds, the beryllium fluoride is mixed with molten magnesium in crucibles and heated. This allows pure beryllium to separate from the slag (waste material). After separated from the magnesium slag, beryllium spheres that measure about 97 percent pure remain. Excess magnesium is burned off by further treatment in a vacuum furnace, leaving beryllium that is up to 99.99 percent pure.
The beryllium spheres are normally converted to powder via isostatic pressing, creating a powder that can be used in the production of beryllium-aluminum alloys or pure beryllium metal shields. Beryllium can also be readily recycled from scrap alloys. However, the quantity of recycled materials is variable and limited due to its use in dispersive technologies, such as electronics. The beryllium present in copper-beryllium alloys used in electronics are difficult to collect and when collected are first sent for copper recycling, which dilutes the beryllium content to an uneconomical amount.
Due to the strategic nature of the metal, accurate production figures for beryllium are difficult to attain. However, global production of refined beryllium materials is estimated to be roughly 500 metric tonnes. Mining and refining of beryllium in the US, which accounts for as much as 90 percent of global production, is dominated by Materion Corp. Formerly known as Brush Wellman Inc., the company operates the Spor Mountain bertrandite mine in Utah and is the world’s largest producer and refiner of beryllium metal.
While beryllium is only refined in the US, Kazakhstan, and China, beryl is mined in a number of countries, including China, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Brazil.
Applications:
- Beryllium uses can be categorized into five areas:
- Consumer electronics and telecommunications
- Industrial components and commercial aerospace
- Defense and military
- Medical
Mechanical applications
Because of its stiffness, light weight and dimensional stability over a wide temperature range, beryllium metal is used for lightweight structural components in the defense and aerospace industries in high-speed aircraft, guided missiles, spacecraft, and satellites
Radiation windows
Because of its low atomic number and very low absorption for X-rays, the oldest and still one of the most important applications of beryllium is in radiation windows for X-ray tubes.
Mirrors
Beryllium mirrors are of particular interest. Large-area mirrors, frequently with a honeycomb support structure, are used, for example, in meteorological satellites where low weight and long-term dimensional stability are critical. Smaller beryllium mirrors are used in optical guidance systems and in fire-control systems
Magnetic applications
Beryllium is non-magnetic. Therefore, tools fabricated out of beryllium-based materials are used by naval or military explosive ordnance disposal teams for work on or near naval mines, since these mines commonly have magnetic fuzes
Nuclear applications
Thin plates or foils of beryllium are sometimes used in nuclear weapon designs as the very outer layer of the plutonium pits in the primary stages of thermonuclear bombs, placed to surround the fissile material. These layers of beryllium are good “pushers” for the implosion of the plutonium-239, and they are good neutron reflectors, just as in beryllium-moderated nuclear reactors.
Electronic
Beryllium is a p-type dopant in III-V compound semiconductors. It is widely used in materials such as GaAs, AlGaAs, InGaAs and InAlAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).[87]Cross-rolled beryllium sheet is an excellent structural support for printed circuit boards in surface-mount technology. In critical electronic applications, beryllium is both a structural support and heat sink.
REFINING
This facility do not exist in the Nigeria presently thus it presents a fantastic investment opportunity for a savvy investor to take advantage of, such investor will refine the beryl ore and then sell beryl concentrate to local and international buyers. This fetches more return on investment even though the investment is huge
MARKET
Export of crude Beryl ore is good business but refining to obtain pure Beryllium ready to be used is better although it requires enormous investment so also is the return on investment.
REQUIREMENT AND CONDITIONS FOR MINING IN NIGERIA
There are two options available to a company or an individual to enter into the mining industry in Nigeria.
- Through the acquisition of an existing mining Lease from the original owner. Approval must be obtained from the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development for such a purchase.
- Fresh mining lease
Procedure for Mineral Title Licences/Leases and Permits:
Duly completed application form
Coordinates of the area of application
Certificate of incorporation
Attestation
Letter of consent from landowner(s)/occupier(s)
Types of minerals
Work programme/pre-feasibility report
Evidence of payment
Technical capability
Financial capability
In order to encourage investment in the solid minerals industry in Nigeria, Government is offering the following incentives
- 3-5 years Tax Holiday
- Deferred royalty payments
- Possible capitalization of expenditure on exploration and surveys
- Extension of infrastructure such as roads and electricity to mining sites, and provision of 100% foreign ownership of mining concerns.
The mining industry in Nigeria is regulated by the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007, National Minerals and Metals Policy 2008 and Nigerian Minerals and Mining Regulations 2011.
CONCLUSION
Business Advisory Network ‘BAN’ will work with you and assist you to process mining lease from the federal government. We will help you source for a site with rich mineral content. Mining is a technical field although the financial reward is enormous; therefore to succeed you need experts to guide you to avoid fatal mistakes that will erode your capital.
Other things BAN can do for you include but are not limited to helping you to determine the grade of Copper ore at the site, source market for your mined minerals, both locally and internationally. BAN will also help you arrange security at your mining sites.