Taconite Uses
- 1.1 Architecture
- 1.2 Industry. As Dimension Stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
- 1.3 Antiquity Uses
- 1.4 Other Uses
Full Answer
What type of ore is taconite?
taconite, a low-grade siliceous iron ore composed of 20–30 percent magnetite that occurs in fine-grained banded iron formations. Taconite is mined primarily in the U.S., in the Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota and the Marquette Iron Range in Michigan.
Why do we need taconite?
As the supplies of high-grade ore dwindled in the years preceding World War II, alternative sources of iron (and for the Iron Range, new industries) were sought and our attention once again turned towards taconite.
How do you recover iron ore from taconite?
Recovery of the iron requires fine grinding and concentration of iron-bearing phases, which in turn are formed into pellets suitable for blast furnaces. As high-grade deposits of iron ore have become depleted, taconite deposits have increased in importance as a source of iron ore.
Is taconite a waste product?
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States was mining such an abundance of iron ore of high quality that taconite was considered an uneconomic waste product. By the end of World War II, however, much of the high-grade iron ore in the United States had been exhausted.
What are the minerals in taconite?
Magnetite, hematite and chert. Secondary. Siderite, greenalite, minnesotaite and stilpnomelane. Taconite ( IPA: ['tækənaɪt]) is a variety of iron formation, an iron -bearing (over 15% iron) sedimentary rock, in which the iron minerals are interlayered with quartz, chert, or carbonate. The name "taconyte" was coined by Horace Vaughn Winchell ...
How is taconite made?
To process taconite, the ore is ground into a fine powder, the magnetite is separated from the gangue by strong magnets, and the powdered iron concentrate is combined with a binder such as bentonite clay and limestone as a flux.
What is the iron content of taconite?
The iron content of taconite is generally 30% to 35%, and the silica content generally around 45%. Iron in 'taconite' is common present as magnetite, iron silicates, and iron-bearing carbonates, and locally martite (hematite) formed by oxidation of magnetite. Horizons containing magnetite as the dominant mineral have been extensively mined ...
How many tons of taconite were in the SS Edmund Fitzgerald?
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975, was carrying about 26,116 long tons of taconite pellets.
Where is taconite produced?
The Mesabi Iron Range region of the American state of Minnesota is a major production area. The taconite iron ore pellets are hauled by railroad to the ports of Silver Bay, Two Harbors and the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, all on Lake Superior.
What is the mineral that is interlayered with quartz?
Taconite. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Iron-bearing sedimentary rock, in which the iron minerals are interlayered with quartz, chert, or carbonate. For the city in the United States, see Taconite, Minnesota. Taconite.
Who makes taconite pellets?
Major producers of iron ore pellets from taconite in North America include Iron Ore Company of Canada, Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc., U.S. Steel, and ArcelorMittal. These processed taconite-ore pellets are also referred to as "taconite".
What is taconite in iron?
Iron Range 101: What is taconite? Taconite is a low-grade iron ore. Originally thought to be of little value, taconite was considered overburden (waste) in the days when high grade iron ore was mined. The iron content, magnetite, is only 20- 30% compared to 50 – 60 % iron content in red ore. Red ore is also referred to as direct shipped ore ...
How is taconite processed?
First, holes are drilled and the taconite ore is blasted out of the ground. It is transported to the processing plant in huge trucks that can hold up to 240 tons of taconite. Placed into crushers, the taconite is crushed, mixed with water and ground into a fine powder. Next it goes to the separators where the iron ore is separated from the taconite using strong magnets; this is the concentrate. The remaining waste rock is dumped into tailings basins.
When was taconite first made?
While the first commercial taconite pellets weren’t produced until 1955, the birth of the taconite industry occurred in 1922 with the construction of a taconite processing plant in Babbitt.
Where is the largest taconite processing facility in the world?
United States Steel’s Minnesota Taconite (MinnTac) in Virginia is the largest taconite processing facility in the world. This modern process for extracting iron ore from taconite and refining concentrate into pellets is a direct result of Dr. Davis’ research funded by the IRRRB:
Where is taconite made?
Seeing the success of Reserve Mining, other mining companies followed suit and by the 1970’s, there were eight taconite plants operating in northeastern Minnesota. United States Steel’s Minnesota Taconite (MinnTac) in Virginia is the largest taconite processing facility in the world.
When was taconite discovered?
Geologist Peter Mitchell discovered the first vein of taconite in 1870 while searching for gold and silver. This large vein located near Babbitt stretched 1 1/2 miles wide by 12 miles long.
What was the purpose of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Commission?
The mission of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Commission (predecessor to the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board) was to diversify the depressed Iron Range economy away from the depleted red ore. Ignoring experts who said it couldn’t be done, the agency spent over $2.5 million to fund Dr. Davis’ research to find a more cost effective method of refining taconite. The gamble paid off and Reserve Mining Company was formed specifically to take advantage of this new technology. Taconite was transported from the Peter Mitchell mine near Babbitt to the processing facility in the new company town of Silver Bay. In April 1956, the first commercial-grade taconite pellets were shipped out on the C. L. Austin.
Overview
Taconite is a variety of iron formation, an iron-bearing (over 15% iron) sedimentary rock, in which the iron minerals are interlayered with quartz, chert, or carbonate. The name "taconyte" was coined by Horace Vaughn Winchell (1865–1923) – son of Newton Horace Winchell, the Minnesota State Geologist – during their pioneering investigations of the Precambrian Biwabik Iron Formation of northea…
History
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States was mining such an abundance of iron ore of high quality that taconite was considered an uneconomic waste product. By the end of World War II, however, much of the high-grade iron ore in the United States had been exhausted. Taconite became valued as a new source of the metal.
Production
To process taconite, the ore is ground into a fine powder, the magnetite is separated from the gangue by strong magnets, and the powdered iron concentrate is combined with a binder such as bentonite clay and limestone as a flux. As a last step, it is rolled into pellets about 10 millimeters in diameter that contain about 65% iron. The pellets are fired at a very high temperature to hard…
Taconite and human health
Beginning in 1955, Reserve Mining Company discharged crushed waste rock (tailings) from their Silver Bay, Minnesota processing plant into Lake Superior. The tailings contained 40% of the amphibole group mineral series cummingtonite-grunerite, which may form asbestiform particles. A small fraction of the fine-grained tailings were shown to widely disperse along the western shore of Lake Superior, the source of drinking water for a number of cities; for example, tests of Duluth…
See also
• Edward Wilson Davis – American engineer and inventor pioneering early research in taconite
• Banded iron formation – Distinctive layered units of iron-rich sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age
Further reading
• Davis, Edward W., Pioneering With Taconite. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1964.
• Erie Mining Company History Project Team, Taconite, New Life for Minnesota's Iron Range: The History of Erie Mining Company. Duluth: St. Louis County Historical Society, 2019.
• Manuel, Jeffrey T., “Mr. Taconite: Edward W. Davis and the Promotion of Low-Grade Iron Ore, 1913–1955,” Technology and Culture, 54 (April 2013), 317–45.
External links
• "Taconite", Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
• "Mesabi Iron Ore Range", Geography
• "History of Silver Bay", Silver Bay, Minnesota Official Website