RAW RESOURCES

Magazine
«DONBASS: point to the future»

Mineral-raw base has extremely important meaning for industry development of any state. It is a guarantee of its safe, stable and balanced development.

Donetsk region takes the leading place by areas of explored deposits and mining of many kinds of mineral raw not only in Ukraine but among other developed countries of the world. Peculiarities of geology structure of the region territory caused the richness of its mine resources, on which base nearly 500 mining enterprises.

Industry of the region as well as Ukraine is fully provided as such kinds of raw like coal, rock salt, flux limestone and dolomite, fire and ceramic clays, kaolin, chalk, moulding, glass and building sands, cement material, gypsum, stone building materials for many years.

New for Ukraine and the region deposits of hydrocarbon materials, iron ores, fluorspar, brown coal, ochres, alkaline kaolins, basalt, gold, copper, lead, rare and rare earth elements, lithium, niobium, tantalum, phosphorite, aluminium, carbonate-magnesium stones

Coal and Methane of Coal Deposits

During 200 year of industrial exploration in Donbass 8 mlrd.t rock coal has been recovered. Not less that 70 mlrd.t of discover deposits remained in the bowels of the earth and 32 mlrd.t predictable resources that provide work of coal industry for many dozens ahead.

Under conditions of coal industry restructurization for the period to 2005, besides solving problems of unprofitable mines closing environmental actions, coal mining out of profitable mines and objects for new construction and reconstruction of acting mines as well as program realization "Methane of coal deposits" are among priority tasks. Methane of coal deposits is a valuable energetic raw and at the same time it is explosive outburst substance that opposes safe coal mining. Coal mines of the region kick annually into the atmosphere 1.5-2.2 mlrd.m3 of methane. Capacity of its practical utilization comprises 5 — 8 %. Experience of the leading Europe and world countries shows that complex approach and application of modern technologies in perspective can provide capting and utilization up to 60% of balanced methane reserves. Only within Donetsk-Makeevka, Southern-Donbass and Krasnoarmeysk coal-industrial districts 0,6 – 0,8 mlrd.m3 of methane can be explored in several years in the region. In 8 - 10 years the figure will exceed 3 — 3,6 mlrd.m3. This provides annual economic effect USD 120-150 mlrd.

Raw for Mining-metallurgical Complex

Black metallurgy acquires fluorspar, flux limestones and dolomites in significant quantity. To satisfy urgent needs of metallurgy in the given raw exploration of Rodnikovoye deposit comes to the end. Pervomayskoye and Southern-Shevchenkovskoye deposits exploration is planned. Preparation and industrial deposits adoption of high-quality of easily-dressable black quartzites in West Priazovje is planned.

Geologists of the region have finished the estimation of Belyaevskoye deposit for obtaining leadzinc concentrates with their reprocessiong at the functioning plant "Ukrzinc" (Konstantinovka).

Valuable Mineral Raw

Importance of Priazovsky solid of Donbass as one of gold-bearing districts of Ukraine has been confirmed by geological exploration works of resent years. Gold can be extracted in the west Priazoyje, Amrosievsko-Rovenkovskaya and Southern-Donbass zones of depth break within the region, gold resources are estimated to be 200 - 250t.

Precious, semiprecious, jobbing and ornamental lining stones represent significant export potential for the region. Developing processes of piezoquartz, amethyst and high-pure quartz in Priazoyje pegmatites, opal, marble onyx, charoite and fossil wood have been studied.

Nonmetal Natural Resources and Local Nonmetal Raw

Among nonmetal deposits well-developed in Priazoyje staurolite shales are to be noted. Obtained concentrate of staurolite mineral represents new, nontraditional kind of mineral raw, that is an ecologically pure constituent for fluorspar. It is applied in converter and electric steel-making production. High efficiency of staurolite concentrate as a constituent for fluorspar is confirmed with works conducted by scientists at Makeevka and Mariupol "Azovstal" Iron and Steel Works. Demand for staurolite concentrate for metallurgical enterprises of Ukraine comprises 250-300 thous.t annually. Osinenkovskoye deposit of staurolite ores has been explored and estimated beforehand by geologists. Reserves of this deposit comprise more that 150 mln.t while average staurolite content in ore is 13,7 %. Magnesite deposit and quarries exploration in Priazoyje, bentonite clays for pellet production and bento-powders exploration in Artyomovsk district are planned for forsterite refractories constitution, which are exported from Russia. Explored deposits of vermiculite, graphite, am-phibolite, quartz and gypsum represent definite practical interest.

Complex Studying and Adoption of Man-caused Accumulation

Donetsk region besides many kinds of primary raw is rich in man-caused deposits of the secondary mineral resources. Waste of coal mining industry can be utilized in construction, energetics and agriculture. Aggregation of secondary mineral raw (lead and zinc, ferromanganese, germanium, indium and other rare metals) are concentrated on the surface at the limited area and are easily available for processing.

Packed traces of Donetsk Chemical-metallurgical Plant are the more perspective man-caused deposits where concentrates of niobium, tantalum, zirconium and fluorspar.

Slimes processing of coal washing plants can be used at coalproduction and heat power stations.

Some waste heaps of coal mines are of great significant interests for obtaining valuable natural resources represent. Technologies of rare and precious metals extraction of given raw are available only abroad but also in Ukraine.

Small fractions of the basic raw or products of its processing are concentrated in large amounts in waste heaps of exploited nonmets natural resources deposits, waste of heat and hydroelectric plant. They can be used for cement, concrete, glass, brick-tile raw, breed blocks processing and other construction materials.

Problem of hydro-mineral raw is important for Donbass. It is possible to extract in industrial quantities lithium, boron, germanium and other chemical elements out of ground and mine waters. Underground waters of south-western Donbass (Krasnoarmeysk district) comprise from 0,152 up to 0,355 megalitres of bromin that exceeds minimum industrial values on bromine 20 - 60 times, germanium — 5 - 8 times, lithium — 2 times. Studying of these elements distribution in mine waters in other Donbass district and working out of their extraction technology is necessary.

Underground Potable and Mineral Waters

The main consumers of drinking and mineral waters are dwellers and health-improving establishments of the region. Explored reserves of groundwater of the region comprise 2,5 mln. m daily with water salinity up to 3 g/dm including 1,9 mln. m with water salinit up to 1,5 g/dm. Out of predictable resources of groundwater only 22% are developed and utilized.

Diversified hydrogeological conditions in the region conditions the presence of nearly all the known mineral waters. Nowadays is deposits with total resources 2,5 thous. m per day, 8 of them are exploiting. Quantity of deposits and mineral waters reserves can be increased 3 — 4 times.

Thus, out of 834 natural resources deposits of Donetsk region, which are on the balance with state deposits fund, 426 deposits are not developed, that represent large field of activity for theire exploitation as well.

03.05.2009.