Mineral resource of the month: fluorspar

The article features the industrial mineral fluorspar, used in the manufacture of fluorochemicals, aluminum and steel. It defines fluorspar as crude or beneficiated material, mined or milled for the non-metallic mineral fluorite or calcium fluoride. Applications of acid-grade fluorspar in the U.S. are presented, including production of hydrofluoric acid for chemical production of refrigerants such as chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs. World demand for fluorspar decreased with the CFC ban in the 1990s, but recovered with the use of hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs.