Mehdiabad Lead and Zinc Complex produced over 390,000 tons of barite in the five months of the current Iranian year (started March 20), indicating a 34% rise compared with last year’s corresponding period, Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization reported on its website.
Located in Yazd Province, the Mehdiabad complex holds one of the world’s largest deposits of zinc, lead and barite with 400 million tons of proven reserves, 70% of which contain zinc and the rest lead, silver and barite.
Barite is primarily used as a weighting agent for drilling fluids in oil and gas exploration. Other uses include filler in paint and plastics, sound reduction in engine compartments, coat of automobile finished for smoothness and corrosion resistance, radiation-shielding cement, glass ceramics and medical applications.
