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| State: | WA |
| Operation: | Capel Minerals Sands |
| Operator: | Iluka Resources |
| Material Produced: | Copper, gold, silver concentrate |
Mineral sands can be found along ancient shorelines along the coasts of Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Mineral sands deposits generally consist of about 80-90% sand, made of minerals such as quartz or feldspar, with minor amounts of clay. More importantly, they also contain small amounts of the heavy minerals ilmenite, zircon, rutile, leucoxene and monazite, and these are the minerals that are actually targeted by minerals sands mining operations. The table below summarises the chemical compositions of each of these minerals and the materials extracted from them.
| Ore mineral | Chemical formula | Material produced during processing |
|---|---|---|
| ilmenite | FeTiO3 | Ilmenite and synthetic rutile |
| zircon | ZrSiO4 | Zircon, zirconia (ZrO2) and zirconium metal (Zr) |
| rutile | TiO2 | Pure rutile and titanium metal |
| leucoxene | Alteration product of rutile (no precise formula) | Titanium metal |
| monazite | CePO4 (also with La, Th) | Exotic metals such as lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), and thorium (Th) |
The materials extracted from ore mined in sand mining operations have a range of interesting applications, some of which are very high tech! The table below summarises some of these.
| Material | Use | |
|---|---|---|
| Rutile and synthetic rutile | Titanium dioxide pigment in paints, sunscreens, paper coating and plastics. |  |
| Titanium metal | Aircraft, heart pacemakers, other surgical implants and sporting equipment. |  |
| Ilmenite | A source of titanium oxide for pigments and a feedstock for synthetic rutile production. |  |
| Zircon | A refractory material (ie a material that can resist high temperatures) in foundries and furnaces, also used in ceramic tiles, white goods, sanitary ware and to block out x-rays from television screens. |  |
You can learn more about titanium by visiting the Rock Files.
The minerals sands operations at Capel in Western Australia are operated by Iluka Resources Limited. This company is the world's second largest producer of titanium minerals (mostly ilmenite), and the largest producer of zircon. Read on to find out about how this type of mining is performed at Capel, and how the company manages the environmental aspects of their operation.
