MTE EXHIBITIONS •
Other industries in Richards Bay : Richards Bay , alongside Rustenburg , is one of South Africa ' s fastest-developing cities . 1 Two aluminium smelters and a fertiliser / acid plant operate in the area , while pig iron , iron ore , rutile ( titanium oxide ) and zircon are mined from the dunes close to the lagoon . Diverse local exports include coal , aluminium , titanium and other heavy minerals , granite , ferrochrome , phosphoric acid , paper pulp , wood chips , sugar and bananas .
The Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone is located here .
Apart from the mining industry , tourism is a major part of the economy , with Richards Bay seen as a gateway to Zululand , an area popular with foreign tourists because of its large game parks and the diverse wildlife on offer .
Some important local minerals : Titanium ’ s high strength , light weight and resistance to erosion makes it a strong preference when metal must perform in extremely cold environments , like outer space ; in extremely hot temperatures , like an aircraft engine ; or extremely erosive spaces , like seawater . Titanium is used to make solar panels , underwater heating pipes , and renewable energy infrastructure . Its lightweight property is helpful in reducing fuel consumption of planes and cars enabling less impact on the environment .
Titanium dioxide is a very white , opaque compound that absorbs ultraviolet rays and reflects 96 % of light , so it ’ s been a primary ingredient in products like sunscreen , toothpaste , paint and cosmetics for over a century . These same properties are lending it to new applications that reduce carbon emissions – like paint used on buildings to reflect heat and reduce air conditioning energy consumption , in addition to battery and solar technology . 5
Rutile is the most abundant of three naturally occurring forms of titanium dioxide ( TiO 2
; see also anatase ; brookite ). 6 It forms red to reddish brown , hard , brilliant metallic , slender crystals , often completely surrounded by other minerals . Rutile is a commercially important titanium mineral , although most titanium dioxide is produced from ilmenite . Rutile has minor uses in porcelain and glass manufacture as a colouring agent and in making some steels and copper alloys . It is also used as a gem , but artificial rutile produced by the flame-fusion ( Verneuil ) process is superior to natural crystals for gem use . The artificial material has a yellow tinge , a very high index of refraction , and high dispersion ; hence it shows fire and brilliance like that of diamonds .
Pig iron is a by-product of smelting iron ore ( also ilmenite ) with a high-carbon fuel and reductant such as coke , usually with limestone as a flux . 7 Charcoal and anthracite are also used as fuel and reductant . Pig iron is produced by smelting iron ore in blast furnaces or by smelting ilmenite in electric furnaces .
Zircon is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium . Its chemical name is zirconium ( IV ) silicate , and its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO . 1 •
References :
1 . https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Richards _ Bay 2 . https :// www . tandfonline . com / doi / pdf / 10.1080 / 03768359808440052 3 . http :// www . kzntransport . gov . za / public _ trans / freight _ databank / kzn / ports / Richards _ Bay / index _ xml . html
4 . https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Richards _ Bay The " John Ross Parkway " ( P496 ) which links Richards Bay to Empangeni and the N2 highway is named after " John Ross " ( real name , Charles Rawden Maclean ), who at the age of 15 walked from Port Natal to Maputo and back to procure medicine and supplies for the early settlers . [ 10 ] 5 . https :// www . riotinto . com / Operations / south-africa / richards-bay-minerals 6 . https :// www . britannica . com / science / rutile 7 . https :// www . metallics . org / pig-iron . html #:~: text = Pig % 20iron % 20is % 20 the % 20product % 20of % 20smelting % 20iron , furnaces % 20or % 20by % 20 smelting % 20ilmenite % 20in % 20electric % 20furnaces .
At this expo , MTE targets a cross section of commodities and visitors , creating a forum for suppliers of innovations in moving parts that make up the ‘ wheels and cogs ’ for any processing plant . www . africanmining . co . za African Mining Publication African Mining African Mining • June 2023 • 29