Resumen de Kyanite: : A strategic alternative for Russia's aluminium industry?

Industrial Minerals

• "Kyanite ores from the Bolshie Keivy complex are composed of minerals including selenium, ilmenite, staurolite and several others," says [Yuri Voytekhovsky]. "Staurolite concentrate can be a very valuable mineral. At least one Russian steel plant has implemented a new steelmaking technology which uses staurolite, rather than imported Mongolian fluorite, as a flux." "Unfortunately, representatives of scientific community and manufacturers have different views on the development kyanite deposits," says Oleg Kazanov, the chief geologist of the Central-Kola expedition, which conducted the field study at Bolshie Keivy. "Kyanite is undoubtedly of interest as a raw material and Russia's reserves of it are enormous. But I believe that the development of Bolshie Keivy is unlikely to begin in the next 20 years." "Potentially, the development of [Bolshie Keivy] could be attractive," commented a company source. "We need to conduct large-scale studies prior to making any decisions, and if we did decide to proceed, it would not happen before 2018, when we expect world prices for aluminium to have returned to more comfortable