Production Of Metallurgical Grade Fluorspar Briquets

The Oglebay Norton Company has traditionally been a supplier of metallurgical grade fluorspar gravel to the American steel industry and, in the early sixties, fluorspar pellets were entered into the market. The gravel has been imported from Mexico, the pellets were produced by the Minerva Company in southern Illinois. While the acceptance of the pellets by the industry was satisfactory, overall marketing considerations caused the Minerva Company to discontinue the pelletizing operations. Thus it was that Oglebay Norton came to the decision to revive earlier plans to produce fluorspar agglomerates. A survey of the market and related factors led into two basic conclusions: 1) Because of steel plant safety considerations, flat, pillow- shaped briquets were preferable to easily rolling, marble-like pellets. 2) Briquets competitive with gravel could be produced by cutting imported, low-duty, acid grade spar to metallurgical grade by limestone and binders. A plant was built in Brownsville, Texas, and started operations in early 1970.