Beryllium is a rare light metal, and the non-ferrous elements listed in this category include lithium (Li), rubidium (Rb), and cesium (Cs). The reserves of beryllium in the world are only 390kt, the highest annual output has reached 1400t, and the lowest year is only about 200t. China is a country with large beryllium resources, and its output has not exceeded 20t/a, and beryllium ore has been discovered in 16 provinces (autonomous regions). More than 60 kinds of beryllium minerals and beryllium-containing minerals have been found, and about 40 kinds are common. Xianghuashi and Shunjiashi in Hunan are one of the first beryllium deposits discovered in China. Beryl [Be3Al2 (Si6O18)] is the most important mineral for extracting beryllium. Its Be content is 9.26%~14.4%. Good beryl is actually emerald, so it can be said that beryllium comes from emerald. By the way, here is a story about how China discovered beryllium, lithium, tantalum-niobium ore.

In the mid-1960s, in order to develop “two bombs and one satellite”, China urgently needed rare metals such as tantalum, niobium, zirconium, hafnium, beryllium, and lithium. , “87″ refers to the serial number of the project in the national key project is 87, so an exploration team composed of geologists, soldiers and engineers and technicians was formed to go to the northeastern edge of the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang, Irtysh In the desert and barren land south of the river, after arduous efforts, the Coketuohai mining area was finally discovered. The “6687″ project staff discovered three important rare metal mines, 01, 02 and 03, in the Keketuohai No. 3 Mine. In fact, ore 01 is beryl used to extract beryllium, ore 02 is spodumene, and ore 03 is tantalum-niobite. The extracted beryllium, lithium, tantalum, and niobium are particularly relevant to China’s “two bombs and one star”. important role. The Cocoto Sea Mine has also won the reputation of “the holy pit of world geology”.

There are more than 140 kinds of beryllium minerals that can be mined in the world, and there are 86 kinds of beryllium minerals in the Cocotohai 03 mine. The beryllium used in the gyroscopes of ballistic missiles, the first atomic bomb, and the first hydrogen bomb in the early days of the People’s Republic of China all came from the 6687-01 mineral in the Cocoto Sea, and the lithium used in the first atomic bomb came from the 6687- 02 mine, the cesium used in New China’s first artificial earth satellite also comes from this mine.

The extraction of beryllium is to first extract beryllium oxide from beryl, and then produce beryllium from beryllium oxide. The extraction of beryllium oxide includes sulfate method and fluoride method. It is extremely difficult to directly reduce beryllium oxide to beryllium. In production, beryllium oxide is first converted into halide, and then reduced to beryllium. There are two processes: beryllium fluoride reduction method and beryllium chloride molten salt electrolysis method. The beryllium beads obtained by reduction are vacuum smelted to remove unreacted magnesium, beryllium fluoride, magnesium fluoride and other impurities, and then cast into ingots; electrolytic vacuum smelting is used to cast into ingots. This type of beryllium is usually referred to as industrial pure beryllium.

In order to prepare higher-purity beryllium, the crude beryllium can be processed by vacuum distillation, molten salt electrorefining or zone smelting.