Dr. Ljubisa Andric

Abstract:

Mining is often described as a low-accumulative activity, with high production costs and low prices for finished products, which puts it in an unequal position compared to other, less demanding industries. It is frequently noted that employees in the mining sector in our region (Western Balkans) typically focus more on production costs than on realized profits. This approach has persisted for a long time, while the full potential of available resources is not sufficiently utilized.

In Serbia, around 200 mines are engaged in the exploitation of non-metallic mineral raw materials. These raw materials are found throughout Serbia and play a significant role in its economic development, serving either as final products or as raw materials for processing in various industrial sectors. Given their quantity and diversity, these raw materials are among the most important domestic natural resources. Virtually all economic sectors utilize non-metallic mineral raw materials.

Serbia's territory boasts a substantial raw material base of non-metallic mineral raw materials (NMRM). To varying extents, 47 raw materials have been explored: 16 are in constant exploitation, 16 are occasionally exploited or not currently exploited, and 15 are insufficiently explored and not exploited. Among these NMRM, raw materials for construction materials hold the greatest economic significance. Additionally, other non-metallic raw materials of great economic importance include ceramic and refractory clays, quartz sand and sandstone, magnesite, quartz raw materials, kaolin, calcite, limestone (as industrial raw materials), gypsum and its anhydrite, pozzolanic tuff, dunite (olivine), rocks for ceramics and glass ("white granites"), and boron minerals.

Beyond the mentioned NMRM, there are ecological mineral raw materials, which belong to the group of natural mineral raw materials and have a wide range of applications, particularly in environmental protection. These materials are increasingly used to remove suspended particles or dissolved substances from industrial waters—pollutants of watercourses and soil—thanks to their outstanding adsorption, ion exchange, and catalytic properties.

This paper aims to highlight the possibilities and challenges of processing NMRM into new materials with added value, based on mineral powders. These materials are produced through the micronization process, which is currently the most widely applied method. Micronization involves very fine grinding, resulting in particles with an upper size limit of a few microns.