Garnet

Raw material and process of production:

Garnet refers to a group of similar complex silicates that crystallize as rather dense, tough minerals in the isometric system. Because of the relative hardness and abundance in nature of some garnets, ancient humans used them as an abrasive material. And the deep red color of common garnet created a demand for the mineral as a semiprecious gemstone, an important niche that garnet continues to fill.

APPLICATIONS:

Garnet is an important industrial mineral because it is relatively hard, rating 7.5 to about 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness, where diamond is the hardest at 10. Consequently, garnet is an excellent abrasive for applications such as sand- or air-blasting, water-jet cutting, and sandpaper. Garnet is now used for some blast-cleaning applications that previously used common sand. Common sand contains crystalline silica (SiO2) that in the form of dust produced during blasting can cause lung damage if inhaled.There are many additional industrial applications of garnet, including conditioning aluminum and other soft metals for use in aircraft and ships; deburring welds and grinding and polishing optical lenses; producing high-quality, scratch-free semiconductor materials; finishing hard rubber, plastic, and wood products; and making nonskid paints and coatings. The petroleum industry is one of the leading garnet-consuming industries, using garnet for cleaning drill pipes and well casings.