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Potential of mineral along the bay of bengal, Bangladesh.

 

By Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury

www.twiter.com iftekhar @bdcox2010

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Exploitation of mineral resources       `                       `

essential for the sustainable development of the country. We have many natural resources, like

gas, coal, glass sand, limestone, clay, silica, and beach sand Minerals, others, it is vital role play for the economic development of the country. Mineral sand deposit along the coastal belt of Bangladesh, constitute a potential resources of the country. The beach sand minerals contains Rutile, ,which approximately 95%0f titanium dioxide, extensively used in pigment industries, welding electrodes industries, now it is very demand in the industries, and many consumers in the domestic & international market ,Zircon, its chemical composition ,zirconium silicate ,very much demand in the markets ,it used in the ceramic industries, steel mill ,refractory, foundries, Applied in TV plate it is now very demand in our country .Magnetite, as a iron ores used in ferrite rods, red oxide and black oxide. and Ilemenite, also contains titanium dioxide it is used in the for the shielding of radiation ,and extensively used in the shielding block of nuclear power plant , Garnet, monazite ,rare earth radioactive minerals ,which contains thorium which used in nuclear technology ,garnet is used in emery cloth, papers and grinding stone, also in jewels in watches. Kyanite, as a sources of aluminium, & Leucoxene, as a substitute of rutile, Beach sand containing potentially valuable minerals were discovered in 1961 during a geological survey for radioactive minerals in cox;sbazar beach area .Atomic energy commission have been engaged for its exploration & exploitation of these minerals ,according to baec data there is 4.4 million tons of heavy minerals on 17 nos deposits area so far . On which potential economic minerals is 1.76 million tons ,and its estimate zircon 1.58,117 tons, Rutile reserve 71thousand tons ,Ilmenite,1,025,558 tons Magnetite,81.00 thousand tons ,Garnet 222,761tons, Monazite 17,352,tons. Recently beach sand minerals being consumed and demand rolling mill in Bangladesh Sanitary ware factory, papers mill, match factory and now demand many factories it is also possible potential for nuclear power plant projects. .BAEC requested the Government of Australia to help so they extended assistances under Colombo plan to study feasibility of the economical ,so pilot plant were build at Cox's Bazar in the year 1975.they supplied all equipment ,this worked done by one Australian consultant firm, MDL, Mr. Macdonald is head of the consultant ,in the years 1976,. Mr. Macdonald has submitted & recommended added some additional equipment for the plant one report for preliminary feasibility of the projects Then afterwards another consultant of Australia firm an Australian Minerals Development laboratory (AMDEL) also study with bulk sample for the feasibility in the year 1977, they also has submitted one report in the meantime pilot plant has successfully Physical separated in Commercial grade type minerals ilemenite, Magnetite, garnet, zircon and rutile through zircon & Rutile is not yet in target grade..anyhow in the years 1994- 1998 one BMRE project has been undertaken ,some new equipment has been procured and installed at the pilot plant projects .pilot plant studies only develop flow sheets for physical separation of constituent economic minerals and to find out working economic involved therein which would in turn be in commercial plant to be set up in future .There is many commercial projects recovery of these kind of minerals in Australia , South Africa, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka ,Malaysian , China & many countries of the world, so what is problem of our country ? But in the yrs 1985 Japan aid organization wiliness to assistances / grant this project, next Australian Titanium resources, has agreed to finances this projects in the 1990, but it was not in materialized for some our bureaucratic system Through it is small deposit to compare to other countries of the world, we have undertaken imitative works to find out additional reserve and what is news of existing reserve present position? The reserve situation must be resolved. At present most of the depositing area covered with fish firm, salt field ,hatchery zone and many others established like houses, mosque ,madasha ,as it is prior commitment ,ores reserve estimation must be on adequate data, and cost estimation ,as our country has no expert in the field of beach sand mining project ,now most the deposit broken, or going salt field, back dune deposit covered with living house , so again I have put some suggestion - 1. An investigation must be determine economically viable 2. Entire evaluation data of exploration? 3.Pilot plant operation must be accuracy data of quality of recovery %,it processing parameter ,so that is production must be market grade, 4.The existing deposit area should be environmental impact analysis, with most modern equipment. 5.The pilot plant has designed for the small scale production for beach sand mining industries ,I think it require additional production of Ilemenite , Magnitite , Zircon ,Rutile, Garnet ,Monazite, and chalked out plan for the ,rechecking existing reserve ,weather it is commercial feasible ? and invite foreign consulting firm, rechecking it is must be take steps for the right decisions , it is long time ago ,no further delayed, but for the nuclear power generation in Bangladesh ,then it should be too essential for production of above minerals ,ensure the shielding of radiation works of the nuclear plant Of our country. Save some foreign exchange. It is our natural resources, for the sake national interest it should be exploitation, it is great revenue income, provide job, in the country

Iftekhar uddin chowdhury.

 The writer is a Former Senior Officer, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission & Social woker ,past President ,Apex club,Tek para , coxsbazar.