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| Locational Analysis of Quartz and Feldspar Industry in Ajmer District | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paper Id :
16778 Submission Date :
19/11/2022 Acceptance Date :
21/11/2022 Publication Date :
24/11/2022
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| Abstract | Quartz and Feldspar deposits are scattered extensively in Ajmer district. There are number of economically viable working mines of Quartz and Feldspar in Beawar, Masuda, Nasirabad, Kekri, Sarwar and Kishangarh tehsils. The promising areas of Jawaja group, Makrera-Rajgarh group and Tilora-Piproli group of mines are the most important feldspar producing areas where good quality feldspar is being mined. The feldspar deposits of Ajmer district are largely potash bearing. Being rich in Alkalis (K2O+Na2O in the range of 11-14%) and having lower Fe2O3 percentage (less than 0.10%), the minerals (Quartz and Feldspar) from this region, are being extensively Mined, Processed and Transported to different end users, in domestic & international market. Quartz and feldspar (Granules & Powder) are used in various industries like ceramic, glass, foundry, refractory, cosmetics, electrical, abrasive and paints etc. Domestic consumers include Saint-Gobain Glass, Kajaria Ceramics, Liberty Whiteware, SS & Jaipur Glass Potteries, Bharat Potteries, Hindustan National Glass India Ltd., etc. Cement Industries in Rajasthan, procure B grade Feldspar in lumps form (20-100 mm), from the mines of Ajmer District. Quartz (A & B Grade), finds its use in Glass Industries and Ferro alloy Industries. Quartz (C-grade) is used as Ramming Mass. Feldspar minerals are primarily used in industrial applications for their alumina and alkali content. Feldspar is being exported in Lumps as well as Powder form, to countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Iran, Bangladesh and Turkey. Pulverized Quartz is being exported to Malaysia and some of the other South-Eastern Asian Countries. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Keywords | Ceramic, Silica, Glass, Pulverizing, Production, Mineral, RIICO, Ajmer. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduction |
Ajmer District is situated in the center of Rajasthan state lying between 25o38’ and 26o58’ north latitudes and 73o54’ and 75o22’ east longitudes. The total geographical area of Ajmer district is 8481 Sq. Km. The district has no natural division. Its boundaries are territorial and comprised of four sub-divisions namely Ajmer, Beawar, Kekri and Kishangarh. Quartz and feldspar deposits are found in more than 200 kms long belt extending from Rajsamand in south-west to Tonk in north-east moving through Bhilwara and Ajmer.
Feldspar deposits are scattered in large area of Ajmer district. The principal occurrences are in Beawar, Masuda, Nasirabad, Kekri, Sarwar and Kishangarh tehsils. The feldspar deposits of Ajmer district are largely potash bearing. The quality of feldspar produced in Ajmer- Beawar area is good with Potassium content 11% to 14% which meet the world market standards. The promising areas of Jawaja group, Makrera-Rajgarh group and Tilora-Piproli group of mines are the most important feldspar producing areas where good quality feldspar is being mined.
Ajmer district is a major producer of feldspar and high-grade quartz is also being mined here. The total production of Feldspar in Rajasthan for 2020-21 was 56.11 lakh ton out of which 13.86 lakh ton was mined in Ajmer district. Similarly total production of Quartz in Rajasthan was 15 lakh ton in 2020-21, out of which 17935 ton was mined in Ajmer district. The mines of these minerals are concentrated in Beawar, Nasirabad, Kekri and Kishangarh tehsils. |
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| Aim of study | 1. Locational analysis of quartz and feldspar pulverizing mills in Ajmer district. 2. To identify major industrial use of quartz and feldspar powder of Ajmer district. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Review of Literature | Luanna C. Moura,
Flávio P. André, Hayla Miceli, Reiner Neumann & Luis Marcelo Tavares (2019) in
their research paper highlighted the important applications of quartz and
feldspar minerals extracted from pegmatites, granites and river sands. They
also demonstrated different methods for its extraction which later transforms
into required products using dry-earth magnetic separation strategies.
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| Main Text |
Geology of Ajmer District Geologically, Ajmer district is occupied by the Bhilwara and
Delhi Super-groups which have been further divided into several groups and
formations. The rocks of Bhilwara Super-group extend from Deyi in the
north-east through Kishangarh to Sarwar area underlying the Marwar plains and
comprise meta-sedimentary sequences with associated magnetic complex and
igneous rocks. Bhilwara Supergroup comprises Metapelites, Quartzites,
Conglomerates, Marble, Calc-silicate rock, Calc-schist, Calc-gneisses,
Mica-schist, Feldspathised mica-schist, Granites, Dolomites etc. Delhi
Supergroup comprises dominantly Quartzite, Biotite-schist, Calc-schist,
Calc-gneisses, Marble, Granites etc.
These ridges are occupied by Quartzite in general and soft
rocks such as Biotite-schist and Gneisses occupy slopes and valleys. To the
south-east of Aravali range in Ajmer lies the plain occupied by pre Aravali
Gneisses. Much of the area of Kishangarh, Nasirabad and Kekri is covered by alluvium
with practically meagre topographic dissimilarities except a few hillocks of
Quartzite and mounds occupied by Granites, Epidiorites and Gneisses. Similarly
on the western side of hill range around Peesangan and Govindgarh, topography
is more or less plain with some low mounds occupied by granite and gneisses in
general.
Fig. 1: Geological Map of Ajmer District
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| Methodology | The information about the number of pulverizing mills in different industrial areas were obtained by physical survey of industrial areas, directories of Laghu Udhyog Sanghs, allotments list of RIICO industrial areas, District industrial center Ajmer and sub-district industrial centers at Beawar and Kishangarh.
The industrial units were categorized for their locations in different tehsils of Ajmer district. The maps were prepared using QGIS software and ERDAS IMAGINE. For pin point location the geo-coordinates were taken from primary field surveys using GPS and layout plans were geo-referenced and modified accordingly in QGIS. Satellite images taken by various LANDSAT satellites at different time periods provided by Google Pro were analyzed for spatio-temporal analysis of industrial area.
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| Analysis | Production and Distribution of Quartz in Ajmer District
Quartz is quarried from pegmatite as well as quartz veins.
Ajmer district has huge reserves of quartz mineral. Major mining areas in
different tehsils of Ajmer are summarized in table 2 and yearly production is
shown in Table 3 below.
Table 3: Yearly Production of Quartz in Ajmer District From (2015- 2021)
Data Source: Mines and Geology Department, Ajmer Figure 2: Mining Areas of Quartz in Ajmer District Production and Distribution of Feldspar in Ajmer District The word ‘Feldspar’ derived from German word ‘feldspat’. The
word Feld means field and Spat (English spar = minerals) means a rock that does
not contain ore. Feldspar consists a large group of rock forming tecto-silicate
minerals distinguished by the presence of alumina and silica in their
chemistry. These are one of the most abundant group of minerals in the earth's
crust forming about 60% of terrestrial rocks. 1. Rajasthan
is a leading producer of feldspar in the country. Major producing districts are
Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu and Udaipur. Pegmatites are the main source
of feldspar. Pegmatite belt is extended about 110 Km in Ajmer district from
north-east to south-west direction.
2. Large
deposits of good quality of potash feldspar are found in Ajmer district.
Geologically Jawaja group, Makrera-Rajgarh group and Tilora-Piproli group are
the promising mining groups of potash feldspar. Main deposit of feldspar found
in Kishangarh, Nasirabad, Masuda, Beawar, Peesangan, Kekri and Sarwar tehsils
of Ajmer district.  Source: Mines and Geology Department, Ajmer Figure 3: Varieties of Feldspar Mineral Available In Ajmer District
 Figure 5: (A) Active Feldspar Mine And (B) Abandoned Feldspar Mine In Gopal Sagar (Masuda Tehsil) Uses of Quartz In Ajmer district quartz is used mainly in glass, foundry,
ferro-alloy and refractory industries and also as building materials. According
to its suitability for different purposes it may be named as building sand,
paving sand, moulding or foundry sand, refractory or furnace sand, filter sand,
glass sand and grinding and polishing sand. Glass Industry High purity quartz (above 99% purity) is mainly used in
manufacturing of different types of glasses i.e. glass containers, bottles,
amber glass containers, clear flint glass, flat plate glass, specialty glass,
fiber glass etc. Almost 50% of glass manufacturing belongs to container glass.
Most of the glass industries are located in Gujarat, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru
and Hyderabad. Glass manufacturing pulverized quartz must be uniform in
chemical composition, size and shape of grains. Uniformity of grains promotes
even melting in the glass tank. Ceramic Industry Quartz is used in manufacturing of ceramic tiles, sanitary
ware, crockery ware, pottery ware etc. Ceramic white ware contains about 40%
silica besides other constituents. Composite Quartz Slabs Engineered quartz makes excellent counter tops for kitchen
and washroom spaces. Engineered quartz slabs are in high demand world-wide due
to its high impact resistance, durability and esthetic appearance. Quartz as an Abrasive Due to high hardness quality quartz is an excellent abrasive
material hence used for sand blasting, scoring, cleansers, grinding media and
grit for sanding and sawing. Quartz as Foundry Sand Due to high resistance capacity of both chemical and heat,
quartz is used as foundry sand. Refractory bricks are often made of quartz sand
because of its high heat resistance. It is also used as a flux in the smelting
of metals. Silica content of 85% is used in iron casting. In steel foundries
silica content should be at least 95% Quartz powder is particularly used in the
steel foundry in dressing for moulds and cores and also as an essential
ingredient in the molding sand mixtures. For the manufacturing of refractory
bricks silica mineral should be free from alumino-silicates. Petroleum Industry Quartz sand has a high resistance to be crushed. In the
petroleum industry sand slurries are forced down into oil and gas wells under
very high pressure in a process known as hydraulic fracturing. High pressure
fractures the reservoir rocks and the sandy slurry injects into the fractures.
The durable sand grains hold the fracture open after the pressure is released.
The open fracture facilitates the flow of natural gas into the well bore. Quartz Crystals One of the most amazing properties of quartz is the ability of
its crystals to vibrate at a precise frequency. These frequencies are so
precise that quartz crystals can be used to make extremely accurate time
keeping instruments and equipments that can transmit radio and television
signals with precise and stable frequencies. Quartz crystals are used to make
oscillators for watches, clocks, radios, television, electronic games,
computers, cell phones, electronic metres and GPS equipments. A wide range of
uses have also been developed for optical grade quartz crystals. These are used
to make specialised lenses, windows and filters used in lasers, microscope,
telescopes, electronic sensors and scientific instruments. Big pieces are used
in making mortars and pastels for laboratory use. Agate cut into requisite
shapes is also used as fulcrum of scientific balances and in making edges of
planes and bearing of precision instruments. Quartz as a Gemstone Quartz makes an excellent gemstone. It is hard, durable and
usually accepts a brilliant polish. Popular varieties of quartz that are widely
used as gems include amethyst, citrine, rose quartz, aventurine, agate and
jasper. The different cryptocrystalline varieties of transparent and
translucent chalcedony are valued as semi-precious stones and are carved out
into a variety of ornaments and used for making different ornamental wares or
articles of decoration. Agate pieces after cutting and polishing are sold as
semi-precious stones. Other Uses of Quartz Quartz powder is used as filler in the manufacturing of
rubber, paint and putty. Screened and washed, carefully sized quartz grains are
used as filter media and roofing granules. Quartz grains are also used in
creation of golf courses, volleyball courts, baseball fields, children's
sandboxes and beaches. Uses of Feldspar Feldspar is a common raw material used in industrial
applications for that alumina and alkali content. It is used mainly in ceramic,
glass and cement industries. Minor quantity of feldspar is consumed by
refractory, abrasive, electrode, coal washing and cosmetic industries. It is
also used as functional filler in paint, plastic, rubber and adhesive
industries. It is also used in the manufacturing of artificial teeth,
fertilizer and white cement. Certain varieties of feldspar are used as
semi-precious stones. Ceramic Industry In ceramic industry (tiles, sanitary ware, pottery and
tableware) feldspar is the second most important ingredient in ceramic after
clay and is used as a fluxing agent which facilitates softening, melting and
wetting of other batch constituents. It also improves the strength, toughness
and durability of the ceramic body and cements the crystalline phase of other
ingredients. Glass Industry Feldspar is an important ingredient in the manufacturing of
glass. It acts as a fluxing agent which facilitates lowering the glass batch
melting temperature and cuts production cost. Alumina content of feldspar
improve the chemical durability of glass and its physical resistance to
scratching, bending, breaking, chemical corrosion and thermal shock. Feldspar content
of different glass ranges from 0.05% (flat glass) to 18% (insulation
fiberglass). Abrasive Plagioclase feldspar is used as a mild abrasive material for
incorporation in scouring powders. Ground feldspar is used as non-skid dusting
agent for flooring. Use in Refractory Industry Feldspar is used in the manufacturing of acid proof
refractory bricks. Welding Electrode Industry Feldspar is used in welding electrode industry as a flux
which acts as an arc stabilizer and helps in weld pool protection. Fillers and Extenders Feldspar has an excellent quality of filler due to its
distinguished properties such as good dispersibility, chemical inertness,
stable pH, low free silica content and 89% to 95% brightness, high resistance
to abrasion, low viscosity at high pigment loading, resistant to frosting,
resistance to staining etc. make its increasing demand in paint, plastic and
rubber industries. Enamel Frits and Glaze Feldspar assures absence of defects and brings the neatness
to the end-product e.g. enamel frit, ceramic glaze, ceramic tile glaze,
sanitary ware, tableware, electrical porcelain and giftware. Gemstones Several popular gemstones are feldspar minerals. These
include moonstone, sunstone, labradorite, amazonite and spectrolite. Other Uses In earth sciences and archeology, feldspar is used for
Potassium – Argon (K- Ar) dating and luminescence dating. |
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| Conclusion | Ajmer district has risen as a hub of quartz and feldspar pulverizing industry due to the entrepreneur skills, availability of raw materials, transportation facility. Ball mill units have been established in the periphery of Beawar, Kishangarh, Nasirabad, Sarwar, Kekri cities, with the help of RIICO and private organizations. The pulverization industry of Ajmer district is more than 50 years old. The industry flourished here and expended in neighboring districts and other parts of Rajasthan. Quartz and feldspar pulverizing industry initially developed in RIICO industrial areas of Beawar. Later on it expands to peripheral areas of Beawar. In last decade new clusters of pulverizing units developed in Kishangarh, Nasirabad, Sarwar, Kekri tehsils of Ajmer district. Main clusters of quartz and feldspar pulverizing units are RIICO industrial areas of Beawar, Bewanja, Silora and Private industrial areas of Peeplaj, Ranisagar, Udaipurkalan. These clusters of quartz and feldspar mineral pulverizing units have established in the proximity of mineral mining areas and along National/ State Highways. On the basis of primary survey, secondary data sources and spatio-temporal analysis of the industrial areas we concluded that the quartz and feldspar pulverizing industry of Ajmer district has grown rapidly in last 15 years. Mineral pulverizing clusters of Thikrana Gujaran, Udaipurkalan, Sarwar and Kanakhera are developed in last 5-10 years. Other pre-existing areas also expended in last decade. The number of pulverizing units increased from 250 to 916 in last 15 years. Quartz and feldspar pulverizing units are just doing the job of mineral processing. Pulverized mineral is being consumed elsewhere. It is ironical that the district is bearing environment and health hazards of the industry for minimal revenue share, while consumer industries of mineral powder are ripping the fruits of socioeconomic benefits. Majority of these units are located outside the state. The Government of Rajasthan has taken several steps for the development of the mineral pulverizing industry. For sustainable growth and development several steps are required. Establishment of ceramic based industries, mineral export consortium, quality analyzing lab, innovation centers, skill development centers and marketing centers will strengthen the industry. The future structure of the industry will be decided by the balance between the Government regulations for the sustainable mining activities, adoption of environment protection and health safety measures, technological advancements and development of consumer industries. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| References | 1. Moura, L. C., André, F. P., Miceli, H., Neumann, R., & Tavares, L. M. (2019). Manufactured feldspar-quartz sand for glass industry from gneiss quarry rock fines using dry rare-earth magnetic separation. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, 40(5), 333-343.
2. Silva, A. C., Carolina, S. D., Sousa, D. N., & Silva, E. M. S. (2019). Feldspar production from dimension stone tailings for application in the ceramic industry. Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 8(1), 1-7.
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4. Keeble, D. (2022). Industrial location and planning in the United Kingdom. Taylor & Francis.
5. Annual Mining Reports from Mines and Geology Department, Ajmer
6. Stoiber R E, Tolman C, Butler R D (1945) Geology of Quartz crystal deposits, Geology. 30 pp 219–229.
7. Geology and Mineral Resources of Rajasthan (2013) Geological Survey of India Miscellaneous Publication No. 30 Part 12, 3rd Revised Edition.
8. District wise Annual Mineral report: Minor Minerals (2016-21) Department of Mines and Geology, Udaipur accessed from http://mines.rajasthan.gov.in/dmgcms/link_to_external_file/ST2016-17.xlsx. |
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