Minerals & their Uses
Magnesium
Magnesium (see dolomite) is used in cement, rubber, paper, insulation, chemicals and fertilizers, animal feed, and pharmaceuticals. Magnesium is obtained from the ore minerals Olivine (Fe,Mg)2SiO4, Magnesite MgCO3, and Dolomite CaMg(CO3)2.
Tin
Tin is used in the manufacture of cans and containers, electrical equipment, and chemicals.
Titanium
Titanium is a metal used mostly in jet engines, airframes, and space and missile applications. In powdered form, titanium is used as a white pigment for paints, paper, plastics, rubber, and other materials.
Trona
Trona is used in glass container manufacture, fiberglass, specialty glass, flat glass, liquid detergents, medicine, food additives, photography, cleaning and boiler compounds, and control of water pH.Trona is mined mainly in Wyoming.
Tungsen
Tungsten is used in steel production, metalworking, cutting applications, construction electrical machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, light bulbs, carbide drilling equipment, heat and radiation shielding, textile dyes, enamels, paints, and for coloring glass.
Uranium
Uranium is a radioactive material used in nuclear defense systems and for nuclear generation of electricity. It also used in nuclear-medicine x-ray machines, atomic dating, and electronic instruments.
Zeolites
Some of the uses of zeolite minerals include aquaculture (for removing ammonia from the water in fish hatcheries), water softener, catalysts, cat litter, odor control, and removing radioactive ions from nuclear-plant effluent.
Zinc
Zinc is used as protective coating on steel, as die casting, as an alloying metal with copper to make brass, and as chemical compounds in rubber and paint. Additional uses include galvanizing iron, electroplating, metal spraying, automotive parts, electrical fuses, anodes, dry-cell batteries, nutrition, chemicals, roof gutters, cable wrapping, and pennies. Zinc oxide is used in medicine, paints, vulcanizing rubber, and sun-block lotions.
Zirconium
Zirconium is a metal recovered from zircon. "Zircon is used in mineral form in refractory products, where it is valued for its high melting temperature of 2,550°C. Some zircon is processed by chemical leaching to yield elemental zirconium. The best known use for zirconium metal is in nuclear reactors, where zirconium contains the fuel" (Kesler, 1994).