JSC "Mariinsky Mine", managed by RT-Capital of Rostec State Corporation, will switch to a full cycle of production of beryllium metal, which is in demand in nuclear, space and other strategic industries. The new flotation plant, which will be built as part of the investment project for the development of the Mariinsky mine over the next three years, will be able to process up to 250 thousand tons of emerald-beryllium ore and produce up to 50 tons of valuable metal.
Beryllium metal is a rare metal that is produced by processing emerald–beryllium ores and is further used in the space and nuclear industries.
The Mariinsky mine produces raw materials at the Malyshevsky and Aulskoye fields in the Sverdlovsk region. The confirmed reserves of deposits are estimated at more than 13,400 tons. Another 17,300 tons of reserves account for beryllium oxide, which is used in rocket engines and as a transparent protective coating on telescope mirrors. These volumes together are enough to ensure the loading of the future factory for 30-50 years ahead.
Ore enrichment will be carried out using flotation technology. Uralmekhanobr and the Leading Research Institute of Chemical Technology (VNIIHT) will develop it together with the Mariinsky Mine.
"The Mariinsky mine is the only operating enterprise in Russia and Europe for the industrial extraction of beryllium concentrate, which has a serious potential for organizing a full cycle of beryllium production. The launch of the flotation factory will allow us to exclude foreign intermediaries from the production chain and significantly increase the economic efficiency of this process. In accordance with the project, the capacity of the future flotation plant will allow processing up to 250 thousand tons of ore annually with the subsequent production of at least 50 tons of finished beryllium metal," said Alexander Nazarov, Deputy General Director of Rostec State Corporation.
The feasibility study (feasibility study) of the investment project for the development of the Mariinsky mine was first conducted in September 2022 and updated this year. According to its results, the increase in the reserves of emerald-beryllium ore listed on the state balance sheet amounted to 30%, and beryllium oxide – 10%. In the near future, the company plans to receive a feasibility study for the development of dumps, the purchase of modern equipment and the modernization of the existing factory.
The Malyshevskoye deposit, developed by the Mariinsky Mine, is one of three emerald deposits in the world and the only one in the Russian Federation. Its main minerals are emerald and beryl – raw materials for the production of metallic beryllium, as well as associated minerals – alexandrite, phenacite, chrysoberyl, jewelry and ornamental beryl, phlogopite and rare alkali metals (lithium, rubidium, caesium). Beryllium metal is used in strategically important industries, such as metallurgical, nuclear, electronic and others.