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  1. Jan 2020
    1. Most of the antimony mined each year comes from China, which supplies over three-quarters of the world’s total. The remainder is from Russia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Bolivia, and a few other countries, including the United States. Some antimony is produced as a by-product of smelting ores of other metals, mainly gold, copper and silver, in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

      Top antimony producing countries

    1. Antimony is rarely found in its native (as an element) state. Instead, it usually occurs as a compound. The most common minerals of antimony are stibnite, tetrahedrite, bournonite, boulangerite, and jamesonite.

      How antimony is found in nature

    2. Antimony is a moderately active element. It does not combine with oxygen in the air at room temperature. It also does not react with cold water or with most cold acids. It does dissolve in some hot acids, however, and in aqua regia. Aqua regia is a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids. It often reacts with materials that do not react with either acid separately.

      Chemical properties of antimony

    3. Antimony is a silvery-white, shiny element that looks like a metal. It has a scaly surface and is hard and brittle like a non-metal. It can also be prepared as a black powder with a shiny brilliance to it. The melting point of antimony is 630°C (1,170°F) and its boiling point is 1,635°C (2,980°F). It is a relatively soft material that can be scratched by glass. Its density is 6.68 grams per cubic centimeter.

      Physical properties of antimony

    1. Occupational exposure may cause respiratory irritation, pneumoconiosis, antimony spots on the skin and gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition antimony trioxide is possibly carcinogenic to humans.

      Negative health effects of repeated exposure to antimony

    1. Antimony is used in the electronics industry to make some semiconductor devices, such as infrared detectors and diodes. It is alloyed with lead or other metals to improve their hardness and strength. A lead-antimony alloy is used in batteries. Other uses of antimony alloys include type metal (in printing presses), bullets and cable sheathing. Antimony compounds are used to make flame-retardant materials, paints, enamels, glass and pottery.

      Uses of antimony in technology

    1. large amount of waste rock, tailings, and smelting slags are produced during the Sb mining, processing, and smelting. These are partly used for filling the underground voids and piled up in the waste slack yard. The tailings produced in mineral processing are piped to the tailings dam located in the southwest of the mining area, which is located in the natural depression between two mountain bodies in the southwest of the mining area. Downstream is a large area of farmland, at risk from contamination from tailings release.

      What happens to waste produced during Sb refining.