Page 19 - Журнал Sozvezdye Review - «СОЗВЕЗДИЕ» #40

well as ingredients in open-hearth steel-making. The The limestone reserves for cement production are
Volodinsky mine is estimated to contain 13.5 million estimated at 209 million tons and clay at 39 million.
tons of bauxites. Most of them are concentrated in the Plesetsk District.
One more possible application of the bauxites The Savinsky mine, which remained viable between
that are being produced in the Arkhangelsk Oblast 1966 and 2015, was stopped due to unprofitability.
is proppants – agents commonly used in petroleum Gypsum and anhydrites are estimated at 162
industry to increase reservoir recovery. Bauxite million tons, another 9 million are non-commercial.
proppants are best for deep well stimulation. The area’s largest gypsum and
Granite and basalt are being mined in the districts anhydrite mines are located in
of Plesetsk and Onega, their reasonably assured Kholmogory District and are По прогнозным оценкам,
resources amounting to 845 million cubic meters. operated by Knauf Gips Kolpino. ресурсный потенциал еще не
The Arkhangelsk Oblast holds 22.3% of Russia’s The known reserves of sand
abrasive garnet, precisely 87,000 tons. Its Primorsky for the production of concrete and открытых месторождений
garnet mine was discovered in 2018 and is due for silicate products are estimated алмазов может составлять
development in 2022–2023 by Tengri. As a blast at 116 million cubic meters. The порядка 750 миллионов
media, garnet abrasive is used in polishing, grinding sand mines that are currently
and cleaning of surfaces, potable and waste water, and in operation are three, their карат, что втрое превышает
petroleum products. output being supplied to the local разведанные запасы
The western part of Arkhangelsk Oblast has been industries. Twelve more sand
discovered to hold palygorskite clays, the largest mines constitute non-licensed These may well not be the area’s
mine being the Karmozero mine (119 million tons). stock. The total reserves of only diamond fields. Forecast
Palygorskite clays are used in the production of bricks masonry sand (445) are estimated estimates suggest that its
and drilling muds. The Karmozero palygorskites at 260 million cubic meters and
have the performance that makes them suitable those of sand and gravel mixtures unproved reserves may hold as
ingredients for adsorbents; dehydration of gases in (409) at 177 million cubic meters. many as 750 million carats, which
gas processing industry; CHP stack gas cleaning; iron Arkhangelsk is also home to is three times more than proven
ion removal from and softening of potable water; and clay reserves for brick and tile
heavy metal removal from wastewater. However, the production, estimated at 90.8 reserves
Karmozero palygorskites lie below the groundwater million cubic meters. The licensed
level and underneath thick overlying burden, which blocks are only two, with the
makes their development a real challenge. majority of the available reserves remaining untouched.
Other reserves include 4.9 million cubic meters of
Vast reserves claydite, 256 million tons of carbonates for lime firing
and 103.6 million tons of carbonates for acidic soil
One more resource being produced in the liming. All of them constitute non-licensed stock.
Arkhangelsk Oblast is limestone. Its reserves for pulp Arkhangelsk Oblast’s peat reserves are estimated
and paper production are estimated at 19.5 million at 718 million tons. Their full-scale development is yet
tons. The largest limestone mine is Shvakino in to be started, and the first peat mine to be developed
Plesetsk District, developed by Shvakino Limestones is Bolshoy Kaltus – 1 in Mezen District. Peat can be
(Shvakinskiye Izvestnyaki), a subsidiary of Omya used as a fuel for agricultural purposes. Its other uses
Group, one of the world’s leading producers of may include medicine, cosmetology and more.
calcium carbonate- and dolomite-based industrial According to the experts at Arkhangelsk
minerals. Among the customers for the high-quality government, the area’s mining sector sees as its
Shvakino limestone is Arkhangelsk’s pulp and most promising exploration targets diamonds, gold,
paper mill. It uses limestone for making chemically platinum group metals, oil and gas. Efforts will be
precipitated chalk, the latter used as a pigment filler made to attract investment in the development of the
in the production of paper. In 2023, one more block discovered deposits of bauxite, basalt, carbonates,
of the Shvakino mine will be put into development to claydites, keramzite clays, sand for the production
increase its output. of concrete, as well as other minerals comprising the
unallocated subsoil reserve fund.

SOZVEZDYE #40

инвестиции
investment

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