Muscovite and ceramic pegmatite dumps in the Arctic regions of Karelia as a potential raw material for industrial use

Abstract

mining enterprises in the Loukhsky region of the Republic of Karelia, rated as one of the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation. The purpose of this study was to establish the rock composition of the dumps and identify the possibility of their use in various industries. It has been found that pegmatite dumps are mainly represented by quartz, microcline and plagioclase pegmatite, micas (muscovite, intergrowths of muscovite with biotite), overburden and host rocks (gneisses, gneiss granites, amphibolites, and gabbro). Quartz raw materials may be used to produce silicon carbide, as well as in the glass industry, in fine ceramics, welding consumables, silica refractory products, and investment casting. Plagioclase concentrate may be used to obtain low-temperature porcelain and coarse crushed plagioclase for the glass industry. Fine and crushed muscovite is used as a filler in the rubber industry, for coating arc welding electrodes, in the manufacture of paints and varnishes, plastics, paper, titaniummica pigments, and composite materials. The host rocks may be used to produce crushed stone. After proper additional processing, lump ceramic raw materials from the dumps of ceramic pegmatites may be used to obtain fine and construction-grade ceramics and in the glass industry. Pegmatite processing waste is suitable for the manufacture of decorative crushed stone and crushed stone for filling secondary roads. Further processing and subsequent use of pegmatite dumps allows organizing environmentally friendly mining operations and preserving the resource potential of the subsoil.The research was conducted under the financial support from the federal budget for the fulfillment of the state assignment set for the Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (121040600172-1).