DUSHANBE, July 8, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan is currently developing a technology of using muscovite and staurolite for production of aluminum, Chairman of the Main Geology Directorate Azim Ibrohim announced at a press conference in Dushanbe on July 7.
“Although bauxites are the main raw materials for aluminum productions in the world, Tajikistan is rich in muscovite and staurolite reserves that contain 21 to 38 percent of alumina,” said Ibrohim, “Today, Tajik researchers and specialists from the Main Geology Directorate are developing the technology of producing alumina from these ores.”
According to him, muscovite and staurolite reserves located in western part of Gorno Badakhshan are estimated at 500 million tons.
“Our specialists are currently carrying out an exploration work in GBAO’s Vanj district,” Ibrohim said.
Muscovite (also known as Common mica, Isinglass, or Potash mica) is phylosilicate mineral of aluminum and potassium. It has a highly-perfect basal cleavage yielding remarkably-thin laminæ (sheets) which are often highly elastic. The name of muscovite comes from Muscovy-glass, a name formerly used for the mineral because of its use in Russia for windows. It is anisotropic and has high birefringence. Its crystal system is monoclinic.
Staurolite is a red brown to black, mostly opaque, nesosilicate mineral with a white streak. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, has a Moths hardness of 7 to 7.5 and a rather complex chemical formula: iron, magnesium and zinc occur in variable ratios. A special property of staurolite is that it often occurs twinned in a characteristic cross-shape. In handsamples, macroscopically visible staurolite crystals are of prismatic shape. They are often larger than the surrounding minerals and are then called porphyroblasts. The name is derived from the Greek, stauros for cross and lithos for stone in reference to the common twinning. Staurolite is a regional metamorphic mineral of intermediate to high grade. It occurs with almandine garnet, micas, kyanites and other metamorphic minerals. Staurolite is one of the index minerals that are used to estimate the temperature, depth, and pressure at which a rock undergoes metamorphism.
