Barite as an industrial mineral in Nigeria: occurrence, utilization, challenges and future prospects

Barite is a non-metallic mineral which is simply barium sulfate (BaSO₄) and is largely used by the oil and gas industry as a weighting agent in drilling mud during drilling operations. The specific gravity of barite should range from 4.1 to 4.6 to be applicable as a drilling mud additive. This study considered the occurrence, utilization and challenges facing the mining of barite in Nigeria. It also discussed the global reserve, production and consumption of barite and types of barite ores and associated minerals in Nigeria. With the use of data from various ministries, departments and agencies involved in the records of operations within the Nigerian solid minerals sector, the nature of occurrence of barite in Nigeria has been reviewed. The various reported deposits areas have been elucidated while the associated minerals along with the quality reserve estimates have been discussed. Reported geochemical and geological studies of the barite mineralization in Nigeria show cream to grey, reddish-brown, whitish and pinkish varieties. The quality of the Nigerian barite is moderate to high. It is often associated with dolomite, fluorite, quartz, calcite, etc. The major impurities found in the mineral are iron oxide (goethite), quartz, and carbonates of magnesium, iron and calcium. Enumeration of the challenges facing the exploitation of the mineral has been revealed to include poor infrastructural development, safety and security, insufficient geophysical and geoscience data information and crude mining techniques. The barite production industry still has a huge potential for growth if these challenges are addressed.