Fluorite (Fluorspar)

About This Product

Fluorite is the naturally occurring mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2, and is traded commercially as fluorspar. It is supplied as lump, gravel or a beneficiated flotation concentrate, and occurs in a wide range of colours from clear to deep purple, green and blue depending on impurities and crystal defects. Grade is the whole of the commercial specification, and the two principal grades serve entirely different industries. Acid grade, or acidspar, is a fine flotation concentrate assaying above 97 percent CaF2 with tightly controlled silica, and it exists to be converted to hydrogen fluoride; silica is the critical contaminant because it consumes HF to form silicon tetrafluoride, directly reducing yield. Metallurgical grade, or metspar, is coarser and typically 60 to 85 percent CaF2, and is used as received as a slag fluidiser in steelmaking, where the impurities matter far less than the fluoride content. Ceramic grade sits between them. Because there is no substitute feedstock for fluorine chemistry, and because supply is geographically concentrated, fluorspar is listed as a critical raw material in the EU, the US and elsewhere. It is used in hydrofluoric acid manufacture, steelmaking slag control, aluminium production, glass and ceramic opacifiers, cement and welding consumables. Bio Green Chem supplies acid, ceramic and metallurgical grades to specification on CaF2, silica, calcite, sulfur, moisture and sizing.