TN295 .U4 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 0DQ0fi437H7b ;: *b >° r +& •; ^ v •/•cr '♦ * p*. '.IK: ^. -*3m: ^ life ^°- ^ s> ..*••« v^-;/ v v^ f V" 'V^'V' "V^ f V V ; --v 1 ' -v •. .. ■ v '° N^Pl/ V^v *\$!$\/ \^?i? * ^ a" >^ *•"«"•' L> » • • -:', ,/^^\. .^..^^>o .A^A ^*. "'^.rj?" o*^^0r- ^ oV v **M&*\ '+** 'by v-o^ .' A^ i 1 ***> A- "^ "•»»* *^ V -J . ^ a.* .^v»:- ^fn -^ ^n^ "*b ^. o ^ saMfc- \ »«••- n* ,/\. 4? *J^* ^ V ■W £** -?8li3v * 40 ** V*?HP ^ "fish * /°^ ^x,, »bV* .0* <& *^.T» A ».*■ v> •/ \;»> V^>° v^-y %^>\.V p \<. A > * o ; o ° . v :- ^o^ • '% ^ A^^ v^. - • . •> * A u . / \ / - A / \ . ^ _ \ ^ *"■ 400 v-" 200 - /Argentina i > 1 - 1975 76 77 78 79 80 SI 82 83 84 FIGURE 3.— Beryl ore production in Brazil and Argentina. 1965 FIGURE 4.— U.S. beryl ore imports. Brazil, the world's third largest producer of beryl ore, ex- ports its ore primarily to the United States, with lesser amounts to Japan and Western Europe. Several large entities in the United States (the U.S. Government, Brush Wellman Inc., and Cabot Corp.) have purchased the majority of imported beryl ore in the past; however, the U.S. Government has not purchased beryl ore for the strategic minerals stockpile since 1974. U.S. reliance on imported beryl ore declined from 1969 to 1977; an increase in importation occurred from 1978 to 1982. Beryl ore imports are historically presented in figure 4. WORLD BERYLLIUM STATISTICS PRODUCTION Among contributors to world beryllium production are Brazil, China, Mozambique, Portugal, the Republic of South Africa, Rwanda, the U.S.S.R., the United States, and Zim- babwe. In 1983, market economy countries contributed 9.4 pet of the total 415 mt of beryllium contained in ores pro- duced by foreign nations. China and the U.S.S.R. represent 14.0 pet and 18.3 pet, respectively, of the total world pro- duction. The United States supplied 58.3 pet of total pro- duction. U.S. beryllium production data are not shown in world production figures prior to 1980. World production of beryllium for 1975-84 is shown in table 3. TRADE The United States exports and imports beryllium prod- ucts in wrought, unwrought, alloy, waste, and scrap forms. Exact chemical and physical compositions of beryllium ex- Table 3.— World beryllium production, 1975-84 (0) 1 (Metric tons) 1975. 1976. 1977. 1978. 1979. 129 1980 110 1981 97 1982 112 1983 112 1984 .382 .371 .312 .414 .409 1 Does not include production from the United States prior to 1980. ports and imports are unknown. The amount of beryllium in various forms exported between 1975 and 1983 ranged from a low of 16.9 mt in 1975 to a high of 72.8 mt in 1977. Over the same period, the total value of the various exported beryllium products increased relative to the total amount exported. Changes in the ratio of wrought products to un- wrought, alloy, waste, and scrap beryllium affect the value of these exports. The United States imports beryllium in various forms from Brazil, Mexico, Canada, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United Kingdom. Figure 5 presents U.S. beryllium exports and imports for 1975-83. As shown 1976 1977 1978 1979 I960 1981 1982 FIGURE 5.— U.S. imports and exports of beryllium in wrought and unwrought forms. Table 4.— Comparisons of domestic beryllium import and export values, and balance of trade (Thousand U.S. dollars) Year Exports Imports Balance of trade 1975 1.152 179 3 36 11 9 237 21 11 111 + 973 1976 1 ,756 + 1 ,753 1977 1,911 + 1 ,875 1978 1 ,985 + 1,974 1979 3,686 + 3,677 1980 3,867 + 3,630 1981 3,094 + 3,073 1982 3,696 + 3,685 1983 2,693 + 2,582 in table 4, the value of beryllium exports less imports is positive; however, the positive balance of trade is partly off- set by the cost of imported beryl ore. The export and im- port values are not solely attributable to beryllium content since some forms of beryllium products included in total ex- ports and imports contain other minerals such as copper and aluminum. The United States has given preference to imports from most-favored-nations. 5 Wrought beryllium products im- ported from MFN's have an ad valorem import duty of 9 pet, while the same products from non-MFN's are levied an ad valorem import duty of 45 pet. No duty has been imposed on imports of ore and concentrate; thus an incentive exists for the importation of ore and ore concentrates into the United States. (Because there is no duty on imported ores and concentrates, import duties are not reflected in the beryl ore availability analysis.) The amount of beryllium imported by the United States as a percentage of total U.S. consumption is low. (However, imported beryl ore accounts for about one-third of domestic beryllium production.) In figure 6, a comparison of U.S. total beryllium consumption with total refined beryllium impor- tation indicates that generally a rise or fall in consump- tion corresponds to a rise or fall in importation. In 1978, however, the general pattern was broken— a rise in con- sumption corresponded to a fall in importation. This anomaly is attributed to an increase in funding of military and aerospace programs in the previous several years and subsequent response of the domestic beryllium industry in the form of increased production. U.S. CONSUMPTION In the early 1970's, alloys constituted more than half of total U.S. beryllium consumption. The electrical and elec- tronic component segments of the beryllium industry use beryllium in both alloy and oxide forms and consume the largest portion of total beryllium produced in the United States. Other major industrial segments that utilize beryllium are nuclear and aerospace. The proportionate FIGURE 6.— U.S. beryllium consumption and importation. amount of beryllium consumed within each of the four sec- tors remained relatively stable from 1975 through 84. Technological advancements have contributed a number of new applications for beryllium, thereby broadening its market base. U.S. beryllium consumption showed an overall increase during 1975-84, a decrease in 1976-77 being followed by a sharp increase in 1978-79. Figure 7 shows total beryllium consumed by the United States and the percentages of the total for each of the four segments of com- mercial applications. FUTURE MARKETS Future beryllium markets essentially will flourish in technologically oriented countries. The Bureau of Mines has made conservative projections of U.S. beryllium demand for 1983-2000. Estimated average annual increase in beryl- lium demand is 1.5 pet (9). Within the major beryllium in- dustry sectors, nuclear industries are expected to increase demand 1.1 pet; aerospace. 1.9 pet; electrical, 1.2 pet; elec- tronics, 2.9 pet: and other industries, 2.9 pet. Projected total world demand for beryllium in the year 2000 is 898 mt, of which the United States represents 61.7 pet. ECONOMIC DISCUSSION BERYL ORE Brazil's beryl ore industry consists of many nonorga- nized miners and several mining companies. The Brazilian 5 Most-favored-nations (MFN's) consist of most nations of the world selected in negotiations held in Tokyo in 1979. These nations receive lower tariff rates than non-MFN's. economy has sustained a high inflation rate in recent years, and since 1982 the value of Brazilian cruzeiros has de- creased relative to U.S dollars. As a result, the increased number of cruzeiros obtained for each U.S. dollar has in- duced producers to increase production and exportation of beryl ore to the United States. The limited number of beryl ore buyers in the United States has a monopsonistic influence on the market price 1975, 160 mt 1978, 246 mt 1981, 275 mt 1984, 302 mt FIGURE 7.— U.S. beryllium consumption. of beryl ore, effectively establishing a price on which beryl ore sellers have little influence. In addition, the large number of Brazilian ore producers and the devaluation of the cruzeiro have ensured a sufficient supply of beryl ore at a steady price. In fact, while Brazilian beryl ore produc- tion increased significantly from 1979 to 1984 at an average annual rate of 18.5 pet, the market price for beryl ore im- ported by the United States decreased after 1982. BERYLLIUM A number of factors inherent in the beryllium industry may affect the amount of beryllium available in the future. In the United States, a paucity of competition in each stage of production and a monopoly in the intermediate stages characterize the beryllium industry. After 1969, when Brush Wellman Inc. became the only fully integrated pro- ducer of beryllium in the United States, constant-dollar prices for beryllium products declined (table 1). As of 1984, constant-dollar prices had not reached the price level of 1969. The upward trend in beryllium powder prices after 1975 may reflect the upward trend of beryllium consump- tion in the United States since 1975. GEOLOGY AND RESOURCES Within the earth's crust, beryllium has been identified in at least 56 minerals, about half of which contain in ex- cess of 1 pet Be (2, 10). Beryl, bertrandite, phenacite, helvite, and barylite are the major minerals that are prospected for by beryllium producers. Bertrandite and beryl are currently the only beryllium minerals mined among MEC's for the production of beryllium concentrates. Until the discovery and development of the large Spor Mountain bertrandite property in Utah, beryl was the primary mineral used in the production of beryllium con- centrates. Although beryl occurrences have been identified in many areas throughout the world, lack of data on most of these areas precludes their inclusion in this study. Prop- erties investigaged in this study are listed in table 5. Over 29,000 mt Be (beryllium metal) is contained in the seven producing and nonproducing operations that were cost-evaluated in this study (table 6). An estimated 3,900 mt Be is contained in ore from the deposits not evaluated; approximately 25 pet of this estimate is available as a byproduct from nonproducing primary mica and tantalum deposits. According to Steven Zajac, Hanna Mining Co., in the case of the nonevaluated operations in Canada, the resource and contained beryllium figures for Canada are probably understated. Additionally, data from CPEC's, specifically the U.S.S.R. and China, are unobtainable. All indications are that these countries contain major beryllium reserves and that the U.S.S.R. is a major producer and con- sumer of beryllium. BERYL Beryl (Be 3 Al 2 Si 6 18 ) is a hard, generally green-colored mineral that contains an equivalent of 14 pet BeO. Beryl has been mined for many centuries for its gem stone qualities but has only been utilized for its beryllium metal content since the 1930's. Beryl is usually found in pegmatites and granites but has also been found in mica schists associated with tin ores. The most widely mined beryl-rich rocks in the world are complex pegmatites. Brazil is the largest producer of beryl among MEC's. Over 106 Mmt beryl ore containing over 15,000 mt Be was estimated for the producing and nonproducing properties evaluated in Brazil (table 6). Almost 99 pet of the contained beryllium is available from the State of Minas Gerais (fig. 8). The beryl-rich pegmatites are tabular and lenticular in shape and differ greatly in size and structure throughout the mining districts. Most of the commercial pegmatites are near schist-granite contacts in the east-central and north- eastern part of the country (11). A similarity among commercial-grade pegmatites in Brazil is the fact that they are all complex-zoned or heterogeneous pegmatites. Heterogeneous pegmatites are Table 5.— Beryllium-bearing deposits and regions Country and State or deposit name Argentina: Las Tapias Brazil: Cascavel-Cristais Minas Gerais Picui-Parelhas Quixeramobim-Solonopole Southern Bahia Canada: Bernic Lake Hellroaring Creek Seal Lake Strange Lake Thor Lake United States: Custer, SD Hill City, SD Keystone, SD Mount Antero, CO Mount Wheeler, NV Muscovite Mine, ID Railway Dike, WA Spor Mountain, UT Yellow Hammer, UT 1 N - nonproducer; P - producer. 2 Y - included in cost and reserve analysis Production Evaluation Owner status 1 status 2 Juan and Thomas Andino N Private land owners N ..do P ..do ..."..... P Private land owners and some govern- N ment land. Private land owners P Tantalum Mining Corp., owned by N Manitoba Government (25 pet), Kawecki Berylco (37.5 pet), and Hud- son Bay Mining (37.5 pet). Bearcat Exploration Ltd. and Colt Ex- N ploration Ltd. Unknown N Iron Ore Co. of Canada N Highwood Resources N Numerous owners N . . do N ..do N North American Beryllium Corp N Mt. Wheeler Mines, Inc., subsidiary of N National Treasure Mines Co. Unknown N Meridian Land and Mining Co. and N Burlington Northern. Brush Wellman Inc P American Consolidated Mining Co N Comments N Inoperative since 1978; resource data calculated at the inferred level. N N N N Inactive because of low demand. Nonmechanized and semimechanized mining operations; evaluated as 2 distinct operations. None. Most higher grade ore has been exhausted. None. Primary tantalum property that was shut down. Low-grade prospect, yet highly promoted. Prospect. Undeveloped primary yttrium property; disputes exist concerning property ownership. Currently evaluating ore and developing bench-scale processing plant. Past producer of byproduct beryl. Do. Do. Undeveloped prospect. Insufficient grades of primary tungsten were encountered during development work; development ceased in 1950's. Past producer of mica and byproduct beryl. Nonproducer. None. Past producer of byproduct beryl. N - only included in reserve analyses when data were available. Cost analysis Number of operations In situ ore, 10 3 mt In situ BeO grade 1 Contained status Producing Nonproducing Be,* mt Table 6.— Market economy country beryllium resources Cost analysis status Evaluated: Brazil United States Subtotal or wtd av . . . Not evaluated: Argentina Canada United States Subtotal or wtd av . . . Grand total or wtd av 4 16 117,968 1 Weight-averaged by country. 2 The product of in situ ore times in situ grade; to determine Be grade from BeO, divide BeO value by 2.78. 3 Spor Mountain bertrandite mine. ■•Inferred resource; demonstrated resources not available. 3 31 2 1 106,047 5,700 0.0004 .0067 15,260 13,740 4 3 1 1 1 ,747 .0007 29,000 1 5 7 "162 1,284 4,775 .0002 .0062 .0006 10 2,860 1,030 13 6,221 .0017 3,900 .0008 32,900 LEGEND " Producing deposits X Nonproducing deposits O 500 1,000 I i ■ ■ ■ I I Seal*, km FIGURE 8.— Location of South American beryllium deposits. generally composed of three identified zones which are pro- gressively coarser grained toward the quartz nucleus (fig. 9). The intermediate zone of producing pegmatites, which borders the core, contains beryl as well as spodumene, columbite-tantalite, cassiterite, and semiprecious gem stones. Because of the resistance to weathering of the quartz core, heterogeneous pegmatites can often be recognized in the field as topographic highs (12). The principal beryl-producing areas of Brazil are the Rio Doce Valley and adjacent areas in the State of Minas Gerais (Minas Gerais operations), the Campina Grande district in the State of Rio Grande do Norte (Picui-Parelhas opera- tions), the Critais-Berilandia district in the State of Ceara (Cascavel-Cristais and Quixeramobim-Solonopole opera- tions), and the Jequitinhonha River Province (Southern Bahia operations) in the State of Bahia (fig. 8) (10). Similar commercial pegmatite zones have been mined in parts of Africa, Argentina, Australia, and India. The Las Tapias district of Argentina (table 5) used to be one of the Scale, m LEGEND Core Intermediate zone f?7>| Wall zone F/.'i^n Border zone FIGURE 9.— Geologic block diagram of a zoned pegmatite. larger South American producers, but no significant amount of beryl has been mined there since 1978. Commercial beryl-rich pegmatites in the United States are scattered throughout the Appalachians from Alabama to Maine. Several deposits have also been mined in the Black Hills of South Dakota and throughout the Colorado Rocky Mountains (table 5). Except for a few, small, family operations, none currently produce beryl as a primary com- modity. Although beryl may occasionally be produced in the 10 United States as well as in some foreign countries, Brazilian beryl mining far outweighs that of any other MEC in terms of production. BERTRANDITE Bertrandite [Be 4 Si 2 7 (OH) 2 ] was discovered in volcanic tuff beds of the Spor Mountain area of west-cental Utah in 1959. It is a colorless mineral with no visible physical characteristics to aid in its identification (13). Exploration and development of the ore body took place in the 1960's, and after development and construction of a beryllium hydroxide beneficiation plant, Spor Mountain became the largest source of beryllium in the United States. Brush Wellman is also the largest producer of beryllium concen- trate [Be(OH) 2 ] in all market economy countries. The Spor Mountain bertrandite occurs in a water-laid tuff underlying Tertiary rhyolites and unconformably overlying Paleozoic carbonates. The carbonates and the overlying tuff dip to the west (fig. 10). Clasts of the carbonate occur locally within the tuff. The tuff served as an ideal host to laterally or upwardly migrating fluorine-rich hydrother- mal fluids; decreasing temperature and fluorine concentra- tions allowed the precipation of bertrandite. In addition to bertrandite, fluorspar, manganese oxides, and uranophane are contained in the tuff beds (2). The Spor Mountain deposit has proven ore reserves of 5.3 Mmt at a grade of 0.690 pet BeO (14). According to , Pit backwoll design LEGEND [••"■'■''■■ 'I Alluvium ESKSa Ore zone L-.V.1 Rhyolrte t .v:-J Tuff and limesfone EV-Vv'l Altered rhyolite I , i' , I Limestone-dolomite ~ Tuff Stephen Zenczak, Brush Wellman Inc., the attitude of this stratiform deposit is such that deeper mining down dip could increase the reserve tonnage if the depletion of established reserves warranted further development. OTHER BERYLLIUM MINERALS Beryllium resource estimates in this study do not ac- count for potential resources from many known beryllium occurrences. Several North American deposits containing undetermined beryllium resources were not evaluated because of a lack of geologic, engineering, and cost data; however, ongoing development work on Canada's Thor Lake and Strange Lake deposits may add significantly to future beryllium resource estimates. Thor Lake is a large beryllium deposit currently being developed in the Yellowknife area of the Northwest Ter- ritory, Canada (fig. 11); it is owned by Highwood Resources Ltd. of Calgary. Several metasomatically altered units associated with an Archean alkaline-syenite intrusive com- plex contain rare-earth elements, columbium, zirconium, and tantalum minerals as well as phenacite (Be 2 SiOJ, a beryllium mineral with potential for commercial develop- ment. In 1984, both gallium and gadolinite (Be 2 FeY 2 Si 2 O 10 ) were also discovered in quantities that may be economically recoverable (15). At least 450,000 mt ore containing 1.4 pet BeO have been outlined in the "T" zone, and over 1.3 Mmt ore grading 0.66 pet BeO is available south of the zone (16-17). Preliminary metallurgical studies indicate that recoveries of 85 to 90 pet can be obtained, yielding a product contain- ing 10 to 13 pet BeO. Thor Lake could produce beryllium concentrates by 1987 (15). It has been speculated by Highwood Resources president Thomas Grenville that beryllium concentrates from Thor Lake would be sold in Europe and in Asia. The Strange Lake yttrium-zirconium property (table 5; fig. 11) is situated on the border of Newfoundland and :::£j *vT river *\j:" : Beaufort ^^# VY SZ^: Baffin jg X \ i -«■ ■:■:■ *^i> o 1 : : VAi. ( x tHOR ^^ \ LAKE MMw* W,\:.: r< V Muawom > STRANStN LAKE.. J X TJjijjSlH: SCAL-Zffcii: wLAKEjtV'^ yy.p'd C I F "/ C'<-:y. ''" MU YLheu-ROaring/ X BERNIC ILAKE :'.'.:'. VV^-JOIKE \ scovmx, I 1 ^X 735^W KEY i •■^-:0_'_C]€'a V :;:■;:;■ V VKHerLER/5StNJ "| Xi-.ATLAMTICi rrERO ;i£ 6vlt of Mfiti -Si LEGEND 3* Producing deposits X Nonproducing deposrts and districts ■ Beryllium hydroxide plants A Beryllium processing plants FIGURE 10.— Spor Mountain, UT: A, Cross section of bertran- dite ore body; B, geologic cross section and secondary drilling. FIGURE 11.— Location of North American beryllium deposits and processing plants. 11 Quebec, about 100 miles northeast of Shefferville, New- foundland, and contains large amounts of beryllium, rare- earth elements, and columbium. A beryllium phosphate mineral, herderite [CaBe(F,OH)P0 4 ], has also been iden- tified there (15). The Strange Lake deposit is owned by the Iron Ore Co. of Canada, a subsidiary of the M.A. Hanna Mining Co., Cleveland, OH. Because of a conflict over the mineral rights to this property, resource and in situ grade data have not been released. Large concentrations of two beryllium minerals, barylite (Be 2 BaSi 2 7 ) and eudidymite [(NaBeSi,0 T )OH], have been reported near Seal Lake in Labrador. The only other significant beryllium occurrence in Canada is the Hellroaring Creek prospect west of Kimberley, British Columbia. It is owned by Bearcat Exploration Ltd. (80 pet) and Colt Exploration Ltd. (20 pet) and may contain up to 500,000 mt of 0.1 pet BeO (15). A mineralized area speculated to have commercial beryllium potential is the Lost River tin deposit on the western edge of the Seward Peninsula in Alaska (fig. 11). Tin mineralization is associated with Late Cretaceous granitic intrusions in a massive Ordovician limestone. Beryllium mineralization, primarily chrysoberyl (BeAl 2 4 ), is hosted by fluorite-mica veins distributed throughout the deposit. The veining may not be related to processes that produced the tin-bearing skarn and greissen (18). Samples analyzed by the Bureau of Mines averaged 0.12 to 0.13 pet BeO (18). No beryllium mineral resource data are available for the Lost River deposit. The Mount Wheeler Mine in White Pine County, NV, is found in the Wheeler Limestone Member of the Cambrian age Pioche Shale Formation (fig. 11). The lower portions of this limestone unit have been slightly altered, owing probably to an underlying granitic sill. Beryllium mineralization is in the form of bertrandite, phenacite, and chrysoberyl. Over 71,000 mt of 1.00 pet BeO resources have been demonstrated, with almost 150,000 mt of 1.00 pet BeO identified. Renewed speculation and investigations into the Mount Wheeler deposit may define larger resources of beryllium minerals, tungsten, and other products. BERYLLIUM MINING AND BENEFICIATION The United States is the largest producer and consumer of beryllium among MEC's. The Spor Mountain bertran- dite mine in Utah, owned and operated by Brush Wellman Inc., is the only source of beryllium hydroxide (an in- termediate beryllium compound needed to make beryllium products) in the United States. Many domestic pegmatite districts have supplied beryl ore in the past, but none are currently operating. All remaining beryllium concentrates produced in market economy countries are derived from the mining of beryl-rich pegmatites. Brazil is the largest supplier of beryl ore to the United States. The following section will focus on the mining and processing of beryl and bertrandite. BERYL MINING AND PROCESSING IN BRAZIL Most of the beryl ore produced in MEC's is from Brazil, where labor-intensive, pick-and-shovel mining of weathered pegmatites is the primary mining method employed. Garimpeiros (laborers) perform all of the mining and cobb- ing of the beryl ore. Since the garimpeiros mine on privately owned lands and sell ore directly to ore buyers, data re- garding mining methods and production are scarce. Pegmatite mining in Brazil consists essentially of stop- ing into exposed, weathered pegmatites with picks and shovels. Mines are established wherever beryl-rich pegmatites exist. If material is encountered that cannot be mined with picks and shovels, the garimpeiros will bypass it and start a stope in a more easily mined zone. Each stope is worked by three to five men who pick beryl crystals out of the host rock and muck out the waste. Other garimpeiros (usually women and children) sort through the mucked-out material for beryl crystals that were overlooked. Stopes opened in the weathered zones are approximately 1.5 m high and 1.0 m wide. A "mine" can contain as many as 40 stopes. It is assumed that all beryl contained in the mined-out material is recovered for hand cobbing. Approx- imately 10 pet of the beryl is lost by hand cobbing. The upgraded (hand-cobbed) ore contains an equivalent of 6 to 8 pet BeO. In the Picui-Parelhas district, a few primitive shaft and drift operations are employed in the weathered pegmatites. The shafts are usually sunk by digging out the soft kaolin- ized clay. When the beryl-rich zone of the pegmatites is en- countered, garimpeiros drift along this zone to extract the pegmatite. Almost 10 pet of the beryl production from Minas Gerais is from operations that utilize drilling and blasting in the pegmatite mining. It is estimated that several of these mines can produce about 50 mt/yr beryl ore (grading 6 pet BeO). Beryl ore from the mining districts is purchased periodically by representatives of the ore buyers, who transport it to nearby markets where the concentrates (ap- proximately 6 to 8 pet BeO) are further upgraded. This upgrading consists of additional hand cobbing of the beryl and achieves an average estimated recovery of 96 pet. The final beryl ore contains at least 10 pet BeO and is eventually shipped to Rio de Janeiro or other ports for export. It is shipped in 20- to 40-st lots with the lump ore being approxi- mately 3 by 5 cm in size and packed in burlap bags. Most of the beryl produced from the weathered pegmatites in Brazil is used for industrial purposes and is exported to industrialized nations like the United States, Japan, and France. The largest U.S. buyer of exported beryl ore in Brazil, Cabot Corp., and presumably the other U.S. ore buyers, have facilities in Brazil for the storage and upgrading of beryl ore, according to Alan Berger, Cabot Corp. BERTRANDITE MINING AND PROCESSING Bertrandite is mined at Spor Mountain in Utah and pro- cessed at the nearby Delta plant (fig. 11). It is mined from a dipping, stratiform ore body composed primarily of welded and nonwelded tuff. Several open pits with stripping ratios of approximately 12:1 have been developed to mine this uniform ore body. Overburden is removed by local contractors in the winter and spring to take advantage of cooler weather. Push 12 dozers and scrapers remove most of the unconsolidated over- burden, leaving about 7 ft of cover. Directly underlying the alluvium is a rhyolite which must be blasted; the blasted material is removed with front-end loaders and off-road haulage trucks. After most of the overburden stripping is completed, secondary drilling on 25-ft centers is performed to further delineate the ore body. Samples and berylometer readings are taken to establish the hanging-wall and foot-wall cutoffs. The remaining 7 ft of cover is then removed to expose the ore zone. Because of an irregular BeO grade throughout the ore zone, ore is systematically stockpiled so that a consis- tent grade of material can be sent to the mill. Mining consists of ripping and loading the exposed tuff. Ripping is performed with a bulldozer, and subsequent loading is performed with a self-loading scraper. Ore is generally mined from predetermined areas of the ore body so that stockpiling can be achieved. The stockpiled ore is then drilled on 20-ft centers. An assay map is generated to identify grade distributions throughout the stockpile. The ore is then selectively recovered and trucked to the Brush Wellman's Delta plant in Lynndyl, UT, about 50 miles east of the deposit. The Delta plant is the only commercial facility in the United States that extracts beryllium values from beryllium concentrates (beryl ore and bertrandite concentrates). The plant, which was designed to process 350 st ore (318 mt, containing 0.7 mt beryllium metal) daily (fig. 12), went on- line in 1969 and was modified in 1978 to accommodate the extraction and recovery of beryllium from imported beryl ore. Extracting beryllium consists of wet-milling the ore to provide a slurry of minus 20-mesh particles. The slurry is leached using H 2 S0 4 at temperatures near boiling point to solubilize beryllium contained in the bertrandite. A leach liquor containing BeS0 4 is separated from the solids by countercurrent decantation (CCD) thickener processes. BERYL ORE INPUT ; (No contained uranium) Wash water j Crushing ■ j Melting j Fritting I T [Heat treatment | Grinding from CCD BERTRANDITE ORE INPUT- (0.002-0.015 pet U 3 8 ) I . -^Crushing and wet grinding! Wet screening Sulfuric acid Steam =£ Acid leaching Beryl leach 1 solution | Dissolving CCO-thickeners Sludge discard xrC CCD-thickeners Sludge Solvent extraction discard Raffinate Converted organic Stripping JWU i H Acid »ic I conversion ^tron hydrolvsis , 1 di Sludge discard -*| A-hydrolysis , T J A-product filtration Beryllium carbonate water Steam < Cake repuip -r I j I * : 1 Beryllium I r r — "~rr. — ~. 1 Bar ren I Product drumming H u B-product filtration I 1 1 2-1 hydroxide I • filtrate J Ba rren ate To tailings FIGURE 12.— Delta plant flowsheet. (Courtesy, Brush Wellman, Inc.) Beryllium concentrate is produced from the leach liquor by countercurrent solvent extraction. The beryllium- extracting solution is composed of di(2-ethylhexyl) H 3 P0 4 in kerosene. The rate of the beryllium solvent extraction is accelerated by heating the extractant and the leach solution. The organic phase is stripped of its beryllium content with aqueous (NH 4 ) 2 C0 3 . Heating this solution to about 70° C precipitates the iron and aluminum as hydroxides or basic carbonates, which are then removed by filtration. The stripped organic phase is then reacidified using H 2 S0 4 to regenerate H 3 P0 4 for return to the solvent extraction step. Heating of the beryllium carbonate solution causes precipitation of the beryllium carbonate, 2BeC03.Be(OH) 2 . This process releases C0 2 and ammonia, which are recovered for recycling. Further heating liberates the re- maining C0 2 for recycling. The Be(OH) 2 product is dewatered by filtration and transported to Brush Wellman's Elmore, OH, facility for processing into metal, beryllium- copper alloy, or beryllia ceramic products. Approximately 80 pet of the beryllium value in the bertrandite is recovered by this process (2). BERYL FLOTATION AND BERYL ORE EXTRACTION METHODS Before beryllium was available from the large Spor Mountain bertrandite ore body, MEC beryllium was primarily derived from beryl ore. Methodologies involving the flotation of beryl from pegmatite ore and the extrac- tion of beryllium from beryl ore (beryl concentrate from pegmatite ore) are discussed in this section. Beryl Flotation From Pegmatite Ore Beryl is generally mined from pegmatites. Because its specific gravity is similar to that of quartz and feldspar, flotation provides a much better means for recovering beryl than gravity separation methods. Similar methods used in separating feldspar from quartz and mica are applicable for the flotation of beryl. The following procedure was derived from a Denver Equipment Co. bulletin (19) (fig. 13). The first step in recovering beryl from pegmatite ore requires grinding the ore. To recover beryl, a minus 35-mesh grind is necessary. The material is then fed through a magnetic or electrostatic separator circuit. This process separates the beryl from other minerals that may be economically recoverable, such as cassiterite and columbite. Desliming of the rod mill discharge is done through a cyclone classifier, which thickens the deslimed sand for subsequent conditioning and mica flotation at 50 pet solids or higher. Tailings from the mica flotation are conditioned with HF. Flotation of the tailings with an amine acetate collec- tor and an alcohol frother yields a bulk feldspar and beryl concentrate. Subsequent thickening of this concentrate removes excess reagents and water. The concentrate is then stored for batch processing so that the beryl flotation sec- tion can be operated under controlled conditions not sub- ject to fluctuations in previous processing and treatment steps. The bulk concentrate is conditioned with hypochlorite and washed to remove all reagents. The washed solids are conditioned with H 2 S0 4 and petroleum sulfonate and then 13 Beryl pegmatite ore from mine Rail grizzly Coarse ore bin Conditioners (acid-proof) 2-stage q- — desliming cyclone classifier x ^ Slimes— -jSU „ i waste I il l i Lll"- Apron or pan feeder =3* Grizzly Jaw crusher 25-pct solids A Slurry pump Alternate conveyor ^\ Vibrating •^Iscreen V^-^Picking Magnetic head pulley Primary slime waste' Mica concentrate to waste or retreatment ^M Flotation machines (acid-proof) ^ Sampler ] Beryl-feldspar concentrate High-grade beryl 2-stage desliming cyclone classifer — □— Mineral jig * Belt conveyor Sampler; Bolted steel ore bin X Ore feeder Rod mill with spiral screen discharge 1 Silica tailings Classifer Overflow 2-stage desliming cyclone classifer Heavy mineral concentrate 3 Flotation machine (acid-proof) Conditioner Spiral rake thickener and diaphragm pump a > ^^ i Slurry pump ?= Sampler 4- 9 ! Conditioner Concentrate pump T Filter Sampler Feldspar to filtering and drying Beryl concentrate FIGURE 13.— Denver Equipment Co. beryl flotation design. (Courtesy Denver Equipment Co.) diluted to 20 to 25 pet solids for beryl flotation. The feldspar fraction is depressed as flotation tailings at this juncture. The froth containing beryl is cleaned, several times if necessary, to raise the grade to 10 pet BeO and is then pumped to a rotary filter. Extraction of Beryllium From Beryl Ore Two methods of beryllium extraction from beryl ore, the fluoride process and the sulfate process, have been used on a commercial scale. The sulfate process is used at Brush Wellman's Delta plant to produce BeO from imported beryl ore. Both processes are designed to recover 80 to 90 pet of the BeO equivalent from the input ore (2). Fluoride Process The Copeaux-Kawecki fluoride process consists of heating ground beryl ore with sodium ferric fluoride at 750° C. One of the reaction products of this process, Na 2 BeF 4 , is water soluble, and so Be(OH) 2 can be obtained by aqueous leaching. The beryllium extraction yield from this process exceeds 90 pet. The initial Be(OH) 2 product from this roasting process is not pure enough for beryllium product manufacturing. Redissolving the Be(0H) 2) adding chelating agents, and then reprecipitating yields a Be(OH) 2 product suitable for com- mercial applications (2). Sulfate Process The Kjellgren-Sawyer sulfate process, installed at Brush Wellman's Delta plant, treats beryl ore fed into the beneficiation circuit. The cost of energy for this fusion process requires the beryl ore to average 11 pet BeO equivalent, although recent developments at Brush Wellman's plant allow for a lower grade of ore (greater than 8 pet) to be beneficiated (2). A beryl ore feed of a lower grade would be less energy efficient and more costly. Beryl ore is melted at 1,625° C and then quenched in water. The beryl glass is reheated and then ground to a minus 200-mesh powder. A slurry of the powdered beryl in H 2 S0 4 is heated to 250 ° to 300 ° C to convert the beryllium to a sulfate, which can then be incorporated into the remain- ing Delta plant beneficiation circuits. 14 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY To develop estimates of the demonstrated resources, grades, and production costs, data on beryl and bertrandite geology, mining engineering, and beneficiation were obtained. For each operation evaluated, actual or estimated capital expenditures for exploration, acquisition, develop- ment, mine plant and equipment, and mill plant and equip- ment were included. The capital costs for the mining and processing facilities include expenditures for mobile and stationary equipment, construction, engineering, infrastruc- ture, and working capital. Infrastructure includes costs for access to the mine and its associated facilities, ports, water supply and treatment, power supply, and personnel accom- modations. Working capital is a revolving cash fund intend- ed for covering operating expenses such as labor, supplies, insurance, and taxes. The initial capital costs for producing mines and developed deposits were depreciated according to the actual investment year. The undepreciated portion was treated as a remaining capital investment in 1984. Reinvestments varied according to capacity, production life, age of facilities, and company philosophy. All costs were originally in January 1982 dollars but have been updated to January 1984 dollars according to local currency factors and in- dividual country inflation indexes, weighted proportionately by the effects of labor, energy, and capital on a countrywide basis. The total operating cost estimates for beryl operations are a combination of direct and indirect costs. Direct operating costs include mining and maintenance labor, sup- plies, supervision, payroll overhead, insurance, local taxa- tion, and utilities. Indirect operating costs include technical and clerical labor, administrative costs, maintenance of the facilities, and research. Other costs in the analyses include such standard deductibles as depreciation, depletion, deferred expenses, investment tax credits, and tax loss carry-forwards. Total operating costs for the bertrandite property were not determined because of insufficient data. After the engineering parameters and associated costs for the evaluated beryl deposits were established, the supply analysis model (SAM) was used to perform economic evalua- tions pertaining to the availability of beryl ore {20). Specifically, the SAM system is a comprehensive economic evaluation simulator that is used to determine the average total production cost over the estimated life of each operation including a prespecified discounted-cash-flow rate of return (DCFROR) on investments, less all byproduct revenues. This average total cost represents the constant- dollar, long-run price at which the ore must be sold to recap- ture all costs of beryl production including a prespecified DCFROR. For this study, rates of return of and 15 pet wen- specified when determining the long-run cost of beryl ore production over the life of a property. The first rate (0 pet) was used to determine the break-even cost, where revenues are sufficient to cover total investment and production costs over the operation's life but provide no positive rate of return. This rate could reflect commitment to a project that seeks only a market share or where other advantages such as social benefits, foreign capital, technological progress, or expectation of better market prices would offset current profitability. A 0-pct rate of return could be acceptable for government-operated mining ventures. For privately owned enterprises, a more reasonable economic decision-making parameter is that represented by the 15-pct DCFROR. This rate is considered the minimum rate of return sufficient to maintain adequate long-term profitability and attract new capital to the industry. The SAM program contains a separate tax records file for each country and State and includes all the relevant tax parameters under which a mining firm would operate. These tax parameters were applied to each evaluated mine with the assumption that each operation represents a separate corporate entity. The SAM system also contains a separate file of 12 economic indexes for each country to enable updating of cost estimates for mines and deposits in 95 countries. Detailed cash-flow analyses were generated for each preproduction and production year of an operation, begin- ning with the initial year of analysis in 1984. Individual mine analyses were then aggregated to produce a total availability curve for beryl ore. It was constructed as an aggregate of all evaluated beryl ore operations, ordered from those having the lowest average total costs to those hav- ing the highest. No availability curve was constructed for bertrandite since there is only one producing operation. Certain assumptions are inherent to all analyses per- formed in this report: 1. All mines produce at design capacity throughout the estimated life of the operations, unless they were known to be producing at reduced levels or were temporarily shut down because of depressed market conditions. It was assumed that full capacity could be reached after a 1- to 4-yr preproduction period. 2. Each operation is assumed to be able to sell all of its output at no less than the determined total cost required to obtain at least the minimum specified rate of return. Some of the deposits evaluated could be prevented from development, forced to reduce production, or forced to close owing to lack of capital, environmental problems or issues, political reasons, a poor economic climate, or other con- straints not known at this time. OPERATING COSTS Operating costs, presented in January 1984, U.S. dollars, were estimated for six of the producing and non- producing mines and deposits discussed in this study (table 7). The cost analyses are based solely on the production of primary beryl ore and bertrandite ore from Brazil and the United States. Costs were gathered during site visits, by contacts with company officials, and from published materials. Where unavailable, operating costs were estimated by standard costing techniques. Costs .nclude mining, milling, processing, transportation, taxes, and royalties. The operating costs presented are weighted averages projected over a mine's life and are calculated in 15 Table 7.— Estimated operating costs and contained beryl ore in Brazil and the United States 1 ' 2 ~ " ' Contained Mining and processing costs Taxes , Total cost orations beryl ore, Pegmatite beryl -pct 15-pct operanons mt ore Beryl ore ore DCFROR DCFROR Producers: Brazil 3 399,800 $2.70 $770 3 $110 $880 $990 Nonproducers: Brazil 2 600 .80 1,100 220 1,430 "1,430 United States 1 8,900 W W W W W W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 'Based on 1982 data; costs updated to 1984 U.S. dollars. 2 AII costs are weight-averaged in terms of dollars per metric ton ot pegmatite ore or beryl ore. 3 Royalty of 15 pet on the value of the mined material that the miners pay to the landowners. "Because of error limits in rounding, variations between 0- and 15-pct DCFROR's values appear to be zero; slightly larger 15-pct value is not reflected in the data when 15-pct DCFROR's are rounded to the nearest $10/mt beryl ore. dollars per metric ton of pegmatite ore mined ($/mt pegmatite ore), dollars per metric ton of beryl ore produced ($/mt beryl ore, containing 10 pet BeO equivalent), and dollars per metric ton of bertrandite ore mined ($/mt ore). BERYL Most Brazilian production comes from the labor- intensive, nonmechanized mining of weathered pegmatites. The final exported ore contains approximately 10 pet BeO equivalent. All mining and upgrading costs were combined in the mining costs (table 7) for this discussion. Mining costs on a per-ton-of-ore basis for the producing deposits are $2.70 for pegmatite ore (table 7). In dollars per metric ton for beryl ore produced, mining costs are approximately $770. Taxes bring the total cost to $880/mt beryl ore, which also equals the cost estimated at a 0-pct DCFROR. This "break-even" value represents the minimum price for beryllium concen- trate that a producer would need in order to cover all pro- duction costs with no constant-dollar, long-term profit. The total cost estimated for producing deposits at a 15-pct DCFROR is $990/mt. The average price for imported beryl ore (f.o.b. U.S. port), in 1984 U.S. dollars, is approximately $l,212/mt ($110/stu, 10-pct-BeO equivalent). Estimated mining costs from the two nonproducing regions of Brazil, on a per-ton-of-ore basis, are $0.80. Min- ing costs estimated for producing districts are higher than costs estimated for nonproducing districts because ex- plosives and heavy equipment are employed by several mines in the producing districts. The total cost, per metric ton of beryl ore, is $1,430 for nonproducers from Brazil. This cost is higher among non- producers than among producing districts because of a lower grade of ore. In Brazil, higher costs are to be expected with relatively lower grade ore because of the labor- intensive upgrading methods utilized as well as the 10-pct-BeO con- centrate grade required for exported beryl ore; 10 pet BeO is the lowest grade of beryl ore imported into the United States because it is generally the lowest concentrate grade accepted at Brush Wellman's Delta plant. The nonproducer evaluated in the United States is a high-cost, underground pegmatite operation. Costs were withheld (table 7) because engineering and cost data col- lected are confidential. The published price of $l,212/mt (6) for imported beryl ore concentrates was estimated by metal market analysts. This price range includes transportation costs, duties, and insurance associated with shipping the beryl ore. Many of the miners and ore buyers are paid for recovered tantalite in addition to the small wages paid for recovering beryl. In most cases, were it not for pay realized for tantalite recovery (no data are available for tantalite recoveries), beryl would not be attractive to the miners or the ore buyers, according to Alan Berger, Cabot Corp. BERTRANDITE Operating costs and capital investments were estimated for Brush Wellman's mining and processing facilities. Reserves and feed grade data derived from annual reports, and a general understanding of Brush Wellman's bertran- dite mining and beneficiating methods, permitted these costs to be estimated. Be(OH) 2 production at Brush Wellman's Delta plant is derived primarily from bertrandite ore. Although imported beryl ore augments bertrandite in the processing circuits, the amount of beryl ore fed into the circuits may vary from year to year. For this study, a constant beryl ore feed was assumed. Assuming an average input of 2,465 mt/yr beryl ore through Brush Wellman's Delta mill facilities and assum- ing an average mill recovery of about 80 pet of the BeO con- tained in the bertrandite ore, it is estimated that mining costs are approximately $13.50/mt bertrandite ore. The cost of augmenting bertrandite ore with beryl ore is approx- imately $l,600/mt beryl ore (containing 10 pet BeO). This is the cost for purchasing the beryl ore at Los Angeles, CA, and transporting it to Brush Wellman's facilities. Based on a feed of 99,000 mt/yr bertrandite ore (0.614-pct-BeO feed grade) plus an average beryl ore feed of 2,465 mt/yr, the total operating cost (0-pct DCFROR) for the production of an intermediate Be(OH) 2 is estimated to be between $10/lb and $20/lb. This cost represents production of an in- termediate product for which no market price is available. AVAILABILITY The total amount of contained beryllium from all sources is approximately 33,000 mt. The Utah bertrandite ore deposit contains approximately 14,000 mt Be, ot 42 pet of the total contained beryllium. Primary beryllium production depends upon availability of both ores and extraction plants. Availability analysis of beryllium at various costs of production is restricted for the following reasons: Only one major beryllium extraction 16 plant presently operates in the Western Hemisphere; very few extraction plants exist worldwide; and beryllium availability currently relies on the availability of beryl and bertrandite. The total amount of beryl ore available from the six pro- ducing, nonproducing, and undeveloped primary sources in the United States and Brazil is approximately 407,000 mt with an average grade of 10 pet BeO equivalent. Three Brazilian producing districts represent 98.3 pet of the total available beryl ore. Two nonproducing deposits in Brazil and one in the United States represent the remaining 1.7 pet. The U.S. beryl ore deposit is not included on the availability curve because the costs associated with the underground mining and flotation of beryl have no basis of comparison with those of Brazil's surface mining and hand-sorting methods. The total beryl ore available from Brazilian sources is illustrated in figure 14. Each metric ton of beryl ore con- tains approximately 10 pet BeO equivalent. The price per metric ton of beryl ore includes the cost of the ore, transpor- tation to major U.S. ports, and insurance costs. Approx- imately 360,000 mt beryl ore would be available, given a beryl ore price range of $900/mt to $950/mt and a 0-pct DCFROR. The computed prices, which represent the break- even point, for the five Brazilian deposits occur within a range of $900/mt to $l,520/mt beryl ore. Inclusion of a 15-pct rate of return in the discounted cash flow analysis raises the computed price range of beryl ore to $900/mt to $l,555/mt. No change in the $900/mt calculated price has occurred because capital costs for that particular deposit are low. Sensitivity analyses, in which increments and decrements of 20 pet were affixed individually to transpor- tation costs to Brazil ports, operating costs, and capital costs while the other costs were held constant, disclosed that changes in operating costs had the greatest impact on the 1,600 | 1,400- >> 3 § 1,200 w o o _J t p 1,000 ■> — i — i — i — i — T 15-pct DCFROR 0-pct DCFROR- f "SSo J i I i I i L 3^0 340 360 380 400 RECOVERABLE BERYL ORE, I0 3 mt FIGURE 14. — Cost and total availability for Brazilian beryl ore. 1,900 1,700 Z ■• B0 ° 0> § 1,300 o " 1,100 I 900 20-pct operating cost increase X 0-pct DCFROR X 20-pct operating cost decrease j — " ...J "t J. J. 50 360 T J- . I f c\J —pel upeiumiy lusi ueucuacv _\. -L 400 370 380 390 RECOVERABLE BERYL ORE, I0 3 mt FIGURE 15.— Cost and total availability for Brazilian beryl ore with mine operating cost adjustments. 4I0 17 calculated price of beryl ore owing to the labor-intensive nature of Brazil's beryl ore production. A rate of return of pet and January 1984 U.S. dollars were specified in the sensitivity analyses performed on the Brazilian deposits. A plus or minus change of 20 pet in operating costs caused a 17.1- to 19.5-pct change in the calculated price of beryl ore. The relatively high rate of change in calculated price attributed to change in operating costs graphically confirms the labor-intensive mining technique employed in Brazil (fig. 15). A 20-pct change in transportation costs represented a 0.4- to 0.5-pct change in the calculated price of beryl ore; for capital costs, a 20-pct change represented a 0.0- to 2.3-pct change. CONCLUSIONS Beryllium is available for present and future needs from three ore sources— beryl, bertrandite, and phenacite— with beryl and bertrandite ores being the major sources of beryllium at present. Available beryl and bertrandite ores are sufficient to meet projected demand through the end of the 21st century; however, beryl ore availability in the United States is uniquely tied to Brush Wellman's capacity to beneficiate it. Were Brush Wellman unable to treat the imported beryl ore (because of depletion of ore from export- ing countries or other factors), beryllium availability in the United States would be dependent on one source, Brush Wellman's Spor Mountain deposit. Most of the beryl ore available from the MEC's originates in Brazil. Approximately 90 pet of the total beryl ore resource, which contains 56 pet of total contained beryllium, is in Brazil. Except for small amounts exported to France, Japan, and perhaps a few other industrialized countries, most beryl ore produced in Brazil is shipped to the United States. The United States consumed approximately 74 pet of the total world beryllium production in 1984. Brush Wellman Inc. operates the only beryllium extraction plant in the United States. Based on the Bureau's understanding of Brush Wellman's Utah facilities, they are in a unique position within the mining community in that they can aug- ment extensive bertrandite reserves with beryl ore and pro- duce an intermediate product, Be(OH) 2 , or they can produce Be(OH) 2 strictly from bertrandite ore. REFERENCES 1. U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey. Principles of a Resource/Reserve Classification for Minerals. U.S. Geol. Surv. Circ. 831, 1980, 5 pp. 2. Walsh, K. A. Extraction. Ch. in Beryllium Science and Technology, ed. by D. R. Floyd and J. N. Lowe. Plenum, v. 2, 1979, pp. 2-83. 3. Frankeny, J. L., and D. R. Floyd. Ingot-Sheet Beryllium Fabrication, Report of work done under contract between U.S. AEC and Dow Chemical Co., Rocky Flats Div., Feb. 9, 1968, 29 pp. 4. Darwin, G. E., and J. H. Buddery. Beryllium. Academic, 1960, 392 pp. 5. Metals Design. Beryllium. Mar. 19, 1981, pp. 71-72. 6. Engineering and Mining Journal. Various 1984 issues. 7. American Metal Market. Beryllium Prices, v. 93, no. 23, Feb. 4, 1985, p. 28. 8. U.S. Bureau of Mines. Mineral Commodity Summaries, 1976-85. Chapter on Beryllium. 9. Petkof, B. Beryllium. Ch. in Mineral Facts and Problems, 1985 Edition. BuMines B 675, 1985, pp. 75-82. 10. Nininger, R. D. Minerals for Atomic Energy: A Guide to Ex- ploration for Uranium, Thorium and Beryllium. Van Nostrand, 1954, 367 pp. 11. Johnston, W. D. Beryl-Tantalite Pegmatites of Northeastern Brazil. Geol. Soc. America Bull., v. 56, 1945, pp. 1015-1069. 12. De Alameida, S.C., W. D. Johnston, Jr., O. H. Leonardos, and E. P. Scorza. The Beryl-Tantalite-Cassiterite Pegmatites of Paraiba and Rio Grande do Norte, Northeastern Brazil. Econ. Geol., v. 39, 1944, pp. 206-223. 13. Davis, L. J. Beryllium and Uranium Mineralization in the Spor Mountain Area, Juab County, Utah. Paper in Proceedings Basin and Range Symposium, 1979, pp. 397-403; reprint available from Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists and Utah Geological Association, Denver, CO. 14. Brush Wellman, Inc. Annual Report. 1984, 40 pp. 15. Schiller, E. A. Beryllium— Geology, Production and Uses. Min. Mag., v. 151, Apr. 1985, pp. 317-322. 16. Industrial Minerals QLondon). Beryllium, Thor Lake. No. 204, Sept. 1984, p. 17. 17. Mining Journal (London). Mining Week, Highwood's Rare Metals Bonanza, v. 304, no. 7804, Mar. 15, 1985, p. 171. 18. Berryhill, R. V., and J. T. Mulligan. Beryllium Investiga- tions of the Lost River Mine, Seward Peninsula, Alaska. BuMines OFR 1-65, 1965, 71 pp. 19. Denver Mining Co. Flowsheet Study. Beryl Ore Flotation. Bull. M7-F62, 2 pp.; available upon request from A. A. Soja, Minerals Availability Field Office, BuMines, Denver, CO. 20. Davidoff, R. L. Supply Analysis Model (SAM): A Minerals Availability System Methodology. BuMines IC 8820, 1980, 45 pp. 18 APPENDIX A. — U.S. BERYLLIUM DATA U.S. BERYLLIUM STOCKPILE The U.S. strategic minerals stockpile contains beryllium metal ingots of 98-pct-pure beryllium, beryllium-copper master alloy, and beryl ore. The United States began stockpiling beryl ore in 1947 and beryllium-copper master alloy and beryllium ingots in 1965. The stockpile has con- tained approximately 6,701 mt beryllium-copper master alloy since 1965. The stockpile acquired 139 mt beryllium ingots in 1965; since 1965, the stockpile has gradually ac- quired ingots to attain the present 236 mt, and 27 mt are now on order. Figure A-l indicates the amount of beryl ore held in the stockpile from 1950 to the present. U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS In previous years, airborne beryllium particulates were the cause of serious health problems to employees and their family members and to residents of communities near pro- cessing sites who were exposed to beryllium dust particles. Berylliosis, a chronic disease, affects the lungs, heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys. Onset of symptoms of the disease may be delayed many years. The occurrence of beryllium-related health problems has diminished since companies involved with the production of beryllium have improved the air quality of the workplace. The National Emission Standards for Beryllium, under the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40 CFR 61.30, Sub- part C, specify that emissions from individual sources not exceed 10 g Be over a 24-hr period. Sources of beryllium emissions, in addition to extraction plants, include ceramic plants, foundries, incinerators, and propellant plants. Rather than complying with the 10-g limit, an owner or operator may request a variance from the Administrator to average emissions over a 30-day period; in these cases, the concentration limit of beryllium in the vicinity of the source is 0.01 f^g/m 3 . A number of conditions must be met to qualify for the Administrator's approval of a variance for an alternate method. Also included in Title 40 are stack sampling procedures outlined under paragraph 61.33 and air sampling procedures outlined under paragraph 61.34. Beryllium is deposited in oceans and streams through nor- mal weathering processes. Beryllium's natural concentra- tion in sea water is 0.0006 ^g/L. In fresh water, beryllium's toxicity is 100 times greater in soft water than in hard water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has included beryllium as a toxic metal pollutant in the NPDES Permit Application Testing Requirements, 40 USC 122.21. NPDES applicants whose processes discharge pollutants are re- quired to report quantitative data for each pollutant listed in appendix D of 40 USC 122.21. A national standard for maximum concentration of beryllium in fresh water has not been established. The EPA will be issuing new rules regulating beryllium and also will be considering termination of existing exemp- tions of mine wastes as being considered hazardous substances. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS In the United States, under Federal Regulation 30 USC 400, provision has been made for operators to obtain Federal assistance for the purpose of exploring for reserves of 27 minerals or mineral products. Beryllium is one of the eli- gible minerals for which an operator may obtain funding equal to 50 pet of allowable costs of exploration. Analysis of the effects of the regulation on the currently producing property and nonproducing properties did not appear to be warranted in determining the availability of beryllium, since beryllium exploration in recent years has not been extensive. 40 1 1950 1955 I960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 FIGURE A-1 .—Beryl ore in U.S. strategic stockpile. 19 APPENDIX B. — GLOSSARY Beryl.— A widely mined beryllium mineral; found Delta plant; bertrandite and beryl ore are fed into the plant generally in pegmatites. to produce Be(OH) 2 . Beryl ore.— Concentrated beryl; when beryl is mined from Beryllium oxide.— BeO; the weight percent of this com- a pegmatite, the hand-cleaned and sorted beryl crystals con- pound in an ore constitutes the ore grade, stitute beryl ore; primarily imported into the United States Bertrandite.— A beryllium silicate mineral generally from Brazil, beryl ore contains a minimum of 10 pet BeO. found in a disseminated form; the only operating bertran- Beryllium.— Be, the fourth element in the Periodic Table. dite mine is Brush Wellman's Spor Mountain complex in Beryllium hydroxide.— Be(OH) 2 ; this concentrated central Utah, beryllium material is the end product of Brush Wellman's IS! 10 > ^ G* V*'^"^ o_ vwfV „0 *. -T^* A *r 9 »L!nL'* ^ v s A, <^ -o . » - W f > ^ V^*V A, v«v v»v \w %;^v •• %-^'/.../ o.. *..-- * C^.^^^ ^\^^X 0^.fc°o y <+ ^. o 'bV v sv •«•- %, .o* ,.i^ % ^ A . v ^•^^••/ v^ 5 */ v-^v %-^--y .. v-^v -..X'^'io' *fev* *-*0« o^ a0 ».lv*> ^ v «'*«f' ex .0 »lvi:* ^ > v./ .-aterv *^ .-i&sfei-. \/ .\flto *<^ .^^ ^ vv J o>v "by 8 ^ v *v * v . 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