Iron Ore
Basic about Iron Ore:
About 1.8 billion years ago the sedimentary rocks were formed which have major iron ore deposits. They formed from chemical reactions that combined iron and oxygen in marine and fresh waters. At that time Earth's oceans contained abundant dissolved iron and almost no dissolved oxygen. The iron ore deposits began forming when the first organisms capable of photosynthesis began releasing oxygen into the waters. This oxygen immediately combined with the abundant dissolved iron to produce hematite (Fe2O3) or magnetite (Fe3O4). These minerals deposited on the sea floor in great abundance, forming what are now known as the "banded iron formations.”. The banding might have resulted from seasonal changes in organism activity.
These iron ores have been mined to produce almost every iron and steel object that we use today - from paper clips to automobiles to the steel beams in skyscrapers.Iron ore is a non-renewable natural resource which is found in limited quantities on our planet and is used up faster than it can be formed by the natural process. It can be exhausted and can’t be replenished. Iron ore doesn't have any natural replenishment source.
Iron ore is a mineral substance which, when heated in the presence of a reductant, will yield metallic iron (Fe). It almost always consists of iron oxides, the primary forms of which are magnetite (Fe3O4) and hematite (Fe2O3).
Iron ore is the source of primary iron for the world's iron and steel industries. It is therefore essential for the production of steel, which in turn is essential to maintain a strong industrial base. Almost all (98%) iron ore is used in steelmaking. Iron ore is mined in about 50 countries..
Basic uses of iron ore:
The primary use of iron ore is in the production of iron. Most of the iron produced is then used to make steel. Steel is used to make automobiles, locomotives, ships, beams used in buildings, furniture, paper clips, tools, reinforcing rods for concrete, bicycles, and thousands of other items. It is the most-used metal by both tonnage and purpose.
The primary use of iron ore (98%) is to make steel. The remaining 2% is used in various other applications, such as:
- Powdered iron : for certain types of steels, magnets, auto parts and catalysts
- Radioactive iron (iron 59) : for medicine and as a tracer element in biochemical and metallurgical research
- Iron blue : in paints, printing ink, plastics, cosmetics (e.g., eye shadow), artist colours, laundry blue, paper dyeing, fertilizer, baked enamel finishes on vehicles and appliances, and industrial finishes
- Black iron oxide : as a pigment in polishing compounds, metallurgy, magnetic inks, medicine and ferrites for the electronic industry.