A rare metal turns the world economy around and catapults Kazakhstan to the top.
The first tungsten processing plant was opened in Kazakhstan’s Alma-Ata region, the press service of the Republic’s Ministry of Industry and Construction reported.
“The $300 million project has been implemented taking into account international environmental and industrial standards. The plant will provide up to 1,000 jobs for local specialists and, once it reaches its design capacity, will process 3.3 million tons of ore per year, producing 65% tungsten concentrate,” the ministry said.
According to the data of the Ministry of Industry and Construction, at the time of the opening, the readiness of the key facilities was: sludge storage – 60%, enrichment plant – 60%, external water supply facilities – 85%, external power supply – 100% (connected to a 110 kV line ), internal power supply – 90%.
The project is managed by Aral Kegen LLP, part of Jiaxin International Resources Investment Ltd, an international holding company joined by Jiangxi Copper Corporation, China Railway Construction Company, China Civil Engineering Construction Company and Ever Trillion International Singapore PTE LTD.
“This is a historic event for the local mining industry and will strengthen the country’s position in the world market of rare metals. The opening of the plant marks a new stage in the development of Kazakhstan’s mining industry and highlights the country’s commitment to efficient and rational use of natural resources,” they said. from the ministry.
Further plans include the construction of a deep processing complex that will allow the tungsten content to be increased to 88.5% and produce high purity tungsten carbide. The expected investment for this stage is 150 million dollars.
Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metallic elements and a very high density (19.3 g/cm³), which is close to gold. Tungsten also has high hardness, like tungsten carbide, which is close to diamond. In addition, tungsten also has good electrical and thermal conductivity, small coefficient of expansion and other characteristics, so it is widely used in alloys, electronics, chemical industry and other fields, among which hard alloy is the largest consumption field of tungsten.
Tungsten and its alloys are widely used in electronics and power supply industries because of their strong plasticity, low evaporation rate, high melting point and strong electron emission ability. For example, tungsten wire has high light speed and long service life, so it is widely used in the production of various light bulb filaments, such as incandescent lamp, iodine tungsten lamp, etc.
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