SEOmrfCOOKDIMATION
HOT*
ECONOMIC IIMTELtlGENCE REPORT
PRODUCTION AND USES OF.LITHIUM AND BERYEHUM IN THE SOVIET. BLOC
CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRA RELEASE AS SANITIZED
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CENTRAL INTEiLLIGENCE AGENCY office of research and reports
ECONOMIC DYTELLIGEICE REPORT
PRODUCTION AND USES OK LITHIUM AND BERYLLIUM IN THE SOVIET BLOC
CIA/RR 10
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCT Office of Research and Report;
CC'KTK?fT5
Pago
I.
History and Significance of the
nnd
h.
5.
IT. Production and
3.
IU. Con sicpt
Beryllium
Appendixes
Appendix A. List of Lithium and Borylliuc Ore Mines In the
Soviet
Appendix B. Gaps in Intelligence)
Appendix C. Methodology
Appendix D. Souroos and Evaluation of Sources
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(CRR)
SECURITY INVJ'.KATTON'
JpgOXTZOKLJTjj-dm vo beryllium
L'l THE SOVIET BLOC
The production of lithium and beryllium in the Soviet Bloc is, asemail, but these metals and their compounds have become Increasingly essential to mass production in modem industry. The greatest demand for them began at tho start of World War II in the manufacture of war materials and has continued unabated. Lithium as an alloying agent increases the hardness and toughness of many metals, and lithium steaxote is utilized in greases to keep them fluid at extremely low temperatures. In some form, beryl or beryllium is used in virtually every piece of military equipment. Another possible use for these materials, of major importance at this time, is in nuclear energy programs.
The principal sources of the ores of lithium and beryllium areformations, of which the USSR ia believed to have an adequate supply. Processing facilities are found for lithium at Tsaritslno near Moacow, Novosibirsk in the West Siberian Plain, and Ust'-Kamenogorsk ln East Kazakhstan and for beryllium at Asbest in the Ural Mountains and Kol'chugino near Moscow. These facilities are believed to be adequate.
In the Soviet Bloc, as elsewhere, lithium and beryllium metals and their compounds are utilized for the most part by the metallurgical industries. There is no evidence that either lithium or beryllium is being processed for use in the Soviet nuclear energy program.
i. intreflectton.
1. General.
Lithium and beryllium metals and their compounds are not similar, ond their uses are not interchangeable. They are discussed together in this report, however, because the minerals which provide the raw material
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3" iJlftorv and Significance of the Industry-a. History.
.The 0lfEent lithium was discovered7 in the mineral petal-
recoverld T'flrSt 5Ml1fho lithium minerals was studied thoroughly.
JithiUn to8 bwmrecently because of
^^niJ?!rWS noterlal- many years the
i BediClnelthla wat0r" Then itfl uae ln chemical compounds becaco important and finally its useetal.
ive Year) the USSR-obtained lithium metal and its compounds from Germany, then tho world's largest
and zinnwaldite are the lithium minerals
l0C- n the USSR started In the ?recoverv of apodunene. Production of opodumene in
k.?, ountainsext reported. 7 the Soviet Dloc vas believed to be self-sufficient in lithium
untilas discoveredut it vas not
*SJSsuccessful experiments to produce the metal were concluded in the UK, Germany, and the US. Production of the metal
* B CJ UntU aboUluhenberyllium-
copper master alloyercent beryllium) increased rapidly. This
hef the twas used in some form in almost every piece ofmanufactured during World Har
. Thethe of beryx- the Principal ore of beryl-Itnl rBl teuntains* the Trans-Baikal areas, which ereai" Peeing areas. Experimental work on the commercialof beryllium ln the USSR startednd the first semlcommerTial
Development
i onstant from that time, and7 the
Footnote references in arable numerals are to sources listed in nppena ix D.
b. Sjgnjf Icaripp.
Bei?Jberyllium, because of their small but vital part in
* ofto the SovieirBlocand its compounds. Substitutes for lithium metal more
placeartime or peacetime economy, 3. Mineralogy and. Lithium.
fZforof Hthium than do the substitutesll. Provided these corawditleslet "UcWho industriesthem vlll remain small but important industries,efinite
P^aCC in fl
There are aboutnown lithium minerals, but spodumene amblygonite lepidolite, and sinnwaldite have been until recently the onlyminerals from which commercial-grade lithium has been recovered. In the past few yeara, petalite from South-West Africa and dilithiumZcovered from the brines of Searles Lake, California, in the US have been added to the commercial sources of thii metal and
6 Bateri*ls, with the exception of dilithium
sodium phosphate, are found in pegmatites. Lepidolite is the most
ft* Percent
till ercentow-
ever, accounts for the largest tonnage of lithium ore recovered.
mall total,ore recovered. Dilithium sodium phosphate con-Sil r CT which is recovered in East Ceroany, Czechoslovakia, and North Korea,ercent
no Quantities of lithium minerals are found onoaB!rolal Production, however, ie confined v fSouthwest Africa in
Africa; to East and West Germany, Chechoslovakia, Sweden,urope* to the Urals, Soviet Central Asia, and the Trans- areas in Asia; and to Australia. The US, followed byis the largest producer of lithium ores. The USSR is notproducer of lithium, but it is believed that its supply for during equipment is adequate for current or wartime
b. Beryllium.
There are aboutinerals which are known to containbut only beryl (BeO Al2 O3eryllium aluminum silicateo percent beryllium oxideonstitutes asource of beryllium. Beryl must containoercent BeO to be recovered comercially. The clear, deeply colored green beryl
better known as tho gam stone emerald, and the clear, lighter-colored variety as classed as the semiprecious gem stone aquamarine. Beryl, which occurs in pegmatites, mica schists, gneiss, and lirostone, is recovered usuallyy-product of the mining of feldspar, mica, or lithium mica. Most commercial deposits are found in pegmatites, of which the principal minerals aro quartz, feldspar, and mica in which beryl rarely accounts for moreercent of the rock and normally for not Dareercent. Other beryllium minerals which aresources of beryllium are chrysoberyl, ohenacite, helvite. and idocrase.
Brazil, Argentina, and India are the world's leading producero of beryl. Other producers are the Union of South Africa, South-fleet Africa, Australia, Madagascar, British East Africa, Nigeria, Portugal, the USSR, Southern Rhodesia, and the US. The US is an importer of beryl and is expected to remain so. It is believed, hewover, that the USSR has large deposits of beryl and couldajor producer.
ii. Uses.
a. Lithium.
Lithium metal is used in small quantities to increase thetoughness, and tensile strength of aluminum, lead, magnesium, and zinc. alcium-lithium alloy, lithium is usedegasifier, deoxidizcr, desulfurizer, and general purifying agent in iron nickel, and copper alloys. Lithium chloride and lithium fluoride are used in welding fluxes for aluminum and magnesium. Lithium chloride may be used in industrial air conditioning and in blast furnaces ond foundry cupolas. Either lithium steorate or monohydrate lithium hydroxide is used in greases because it regains fluid in tha extremely low tenperatures encountered by aircraft at high altitudee.
b. Beryllium.
Beryllium is important in three forms: as an alloy with copper and aluminum, as beryllium oxidendure metal. The use of
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beryllium with copper to form an alloy from which other alloys are prepared is its most important use and accounts for aboutercent of allconsumed. Thia master alloy, beryllium-copper, is used in theof other alloys in which great strength and hardness are required and in which electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance are important. Products requiring these qualities include springs for use in pressure-eensi-tive diaphragms and capsules. Bourdon tubes for pressure gauges, and flat or cantilever-type springs for small switches and relays. There are aboutses for these products which are essentialilitary program. Because of the nonsparking quality of beryllium-copper masteroderate amount is used in safety toolsutting edge is required. Largeare used as electrodes in resistance welding and in bearings, bushings, diesel-engine reversing clutches, and castings.
BeO is used in two grades: regular-quality grade and high-purity, or fluorescent, grade. The regular-quality grade is usedefractory where its high melting point, good thermal-shock properties, and resistance to oxidation are required. High-purity BeO is used in fluorescent lamps, radio-tube cathode-heating elements, and ceramic coatings on lamp filaments andgetter" in vacuum tubes. Beryllium metal in thin hot-rolled strips is used for the windowsay tubes. Beryl cay be used directly in the manufacturelaze tohin ceramic shell for spark plugs utilized in high-altitude aircraft.
BeO and beryllium metal are now used in relatively smallin the nuclear energy program of the US and presumably have analagous uses in the Soviet program. Beryllium may well have future use in major quantities in nuclear reactors for power or propulsion purposes.
5. Substitutes.
Lithium and beryllium metals and their compounds have many important uses, butew can be called essential, because substitutes may be used.
a- Lithium.
There are satisfactory substitutes for lithium in most of its applications. Therearge number of products available in quantities equal to those of lithium that may be used as scavengers to remove impurities from melts. Either barium or strontium may be substituted for lithium compounds in greases, and calcium may be substituted for
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lithium chloride in industrial air conditioning and dehuniioaf ication in steel plants, foundry cupolas, airplanes, and submarines. Lead silicate may be substituted for lithium carbonate in the ceramic industry, since lithium carbonate was originally substituted for lead silicate. etter scavenger in copper refining than lithium, butis not so available as lithium and is thus hieher priced.
Bery lliiai.
The uses of beryllium products are so extensive and widespread that it would be difficult to cover the substitution possibilities of each use. Therefore, only tho possible substitutes lor beryllium-copper master alloy, beryllium oxidend beryllium metal will be considered.
Phosphor bronze, aluminum bronze, stainless steel, and chromium-copper alloys, listed in the order of their importance and suitability, are the materials that may be used instead of beryllium-copper master in some cases the use of these substitutes would entail redesigning the product completely and wouldeduction ln the efficiency and the service life of the product manufactured. Either magnesia orzircon ia may be substituted for BeO to attain hirh-temperature Very thin aluminum strips, however, may be usedayand other products may be substituted for beryllium metalgetter" in vacuum tubes*
Production and Reserves.
1. Lithium.
a. Production.
Lithium minerals, consisting for the most part of spodumencercent lithium oxidere recovered by open-pitchiefly in the Tran3-Bai!cal region, the Ural Mountains, and East Kazakhstan.
The Zavitinskiy deposits east of Lake Baikal axe reported to be the largest deposits of lithium ore in the USSR. Large deposits of spodumene and lepidolite have beenear Samarkand in Soviet Central Asia, but no information is available on their development.ot of the main lithium.ore mines and air.ing areas in the Soviet Bloc is given in The deposits of lithium ore in the Soviet Bloc outside of the USSR are the low-grade lepidolite and zlnnwaldite deposits located in East Germany and near Rozna in Czechoslovakia and
3podu,nene' lepMo"te, and zinnvaldite froa one of
af So^MM^v ^compounds are located at TsaritsinoSk BaSlD' 8tin East '
ovial Bloc awketlng statistics on ore production and finished
etric^ons 0?
ave been reported annually90 representing an output of aboutetric^ne of ^aaStlS
reB ^is frequently report^ 7"
of lithium chloride. The estimated Soviet productionTS5 metric tons of lithium'7 ra6tric lons> ofetric
0 annUally ln8 utiiizod S+ ^ Efa1' etrIc tons
Sat1lltMuffl Mtal. it is ffl0tj:ic,tonsproduced. The remain?
i21UB CIl0rid0 arehe product WChmonohydrates,
elieved to
oe adequate forequirements of the Soviet Bloc.
b. Processjpg
lareelvain Source of lithlumhe ]SSSR-crystals or as masses of crystals in pegmatite
aTL^w ^ygonite, mined in smaller quant it The ll?hium minerals are
ite rock. Soft, claylike material which
reinoved' epWolite for use in
7 Mt of iron minerals as-sociated must be removed.
calcined ^ZS!^', lapidolite- Mnnwaldite are ground and
^ and zinnwaldite can bTctaSsdto metalf lfthir^Sto' netBltrolysis of
2. Berylllun.
a. Production.
roducing area in the USSR is the emeraldcf the Urals in the vicinity of Sverdlovsk. The chief minesPervomayskiy, KrasnoSJoSc^
^rtance to the Oral Mountains deposits is the ShSST*S k astake Baikal, near tho boundary line of Lstem
kUcoetors north-northeast of Krasnoyarsk, is anothern3o'iet Central Asia the large produSng^Sasnortheast ofnd thota- BerylaQ* fountains, on thothe Lena River in TakutS^ASSRi
* Peninsula, Just opposite Alaska, it is believed that other beryl deposits have been found in the Dalstroy region of
beryl mines Tndreas
an the Soviet Bloc is given in
thAof the USSR, rich deposits of beryl are reported in
Shan) ofhe Huang-Hua-Ko-Tung deposit iflquaOTi
Siuynan province in China, j/ Hoover, additional inf^tIon onboiyl from those deposits has not been receded! LU bee* recovered from deposits located in toT
northern part of Kangron Province in North Korea, h/ The beryl crystals
^^elSpar
Wjv! . 6 information on rtiich production figures may be
Beofha* the annual output of^ Lucent
sc00 tons. Of this total,o3S
K^roStS* Northhis^production rate is believed to be adequateloc requixe-
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PrccQsaing.
In the recovery of beryl the usual practice ls to separate the beryl crystals and crystal masses by hand and stockpile them untilquantities have been accumulated tohipment. Theof small beryl crystals by various benef iciation processes such as flotation has been accomplished on an experimental basis, but the costs are relatively high.
m the USSR the recovery method is the same, and the crystals and crystal masses are shipped to reduction plants, one near Accost in the Ural3 and the other near Koltchugino in the Moscow area. Beryl from Korean mines is treated also at these plants. The As best and Kol'chugino Plants are believed to be the only factories in the USSR producingoxide (BeO) and beryllium mo tal.
Beryl is reduced to BeO or to beryllium metal by treating the ore to make it reactive and then extracting the beryllium content in the form of water-soluble salt. The separation of tbe BeO from the iron, aluminum, and other impurities in this salt is difficult. It is achemical process which may be done by either the Joy-ffindecker, Copaux-Kawachl, or Sawyer-Kjellgren processes.
Beryllium-copper master alloy is produced by thermal reduction of EoO with carbon in the presence of finely divided copper. Metallic beryllium is produced by converting BeO to beryllium chloride and then reducing the chloride to metal by electrolysis.
A metric ton of beryl containsounds ofounds of which are recovered. Aboutoercent of the beryllium content is lost in the reduction of BeO to beryllium-copper master-alloy. Thusounds of beryllium is utilized in producing the alloy. The loss of beryllium content in the conversion of beryllium-copper master alloy to the finished product may be almostercent. The quantity of beryllium metal recoveredetric ton of beryl containingoercent BeO, therefore, is aboutoounds. 6/
3. Reserves.
Zt Tirtua-Qy possible to present firm figures on reserves of lithium minerals and beryl, since these minerals rarely make up moreercent of the pegmatite and an even smaller percentage of the schists
in which they occur. However, estimates based on known geologic evidence of the large number of pegmatites and schist rocks containing mica,beryl, spodumene, and lepidolite in the USSR suggest .that reserves of lithium minerals and beryl are large and will be adequate for many years. There are several brine lakes in European USSR that, like Soar las Lake, California, in the US, nay carry recoverable quantities of dilithiun sodium phosphate.
HI. Consumption,
Consumption of lithium metals and their compounds in the Soviet Bloc is estimated to be about, equal to production. The industry is small, and the only stocks available would consist of working inventories rather than stockpiles. Statistics on annual consumption are not available. Military requirements would have precedence in the Soviet Bloc and would be largely for lubricants, welding fluxes, flares, and metal and alloys used inand use of military equipment. It is believed that the most essential uses for lithium products in the USSR would bo lithium metal and lithium alloys used as scavengers and hardening agents in the metallurgicallithium stearate and ronohydrate lithium hydroxide greases, and lithium chloride. Tiiere is no evidence to date, however, that the USSR is interested in the use of lithium products for the production ofweapons. Recent requests for information on or for shipments of lithium compounds froa tho US have been made by Eastern and Westerncountries. These requests may be attributed to interest in using these compounds in jet fuels for airplanes or in guided missiles or to an effort to fulfill normal economic demands which formerly were met by ISetallgeoellschaft plants now in East Germany. 7/
On the basis of an estimated production ofo kO metric tons of berylear and an average ofounds of metal recovered per ton of ore, the available annual supply of beryllium metal in the Soviet Bloc would beCO pounds, oretric tons. Statistics on annual consumption and stocks of beryl and beryllium products in the Soviet Bloc are not available, but it is ostimate'd that consumption is approximately equal to production. Stocks, if any, are considered as working inventories rather than as stockpiles.
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It la believed that, as In the US, the major use of beryllium in the Soviet Bloc is ln the formation of beryllium-copper master alloy There is no evidence to date that the USSR is using berylliumOJ or beryllium metal in its nuclear energy program.
il
APPENDIX A
LJST CF LITHIUM ^Us^ BERYLLIUM ORE MIMES DJT BI*X
Ore
Zavitiriskiy
Kanaika
Lipovka
Iftirzinka
Boyevka
European Satellite
Rozna, Czechoslovakia ZInnwald, East Oorraany
North Korea 8/
Taohikot
Ore Mines.
Coordinates
a/#"
--
-
Dzlrulskiy Uasgiv Shrosha
Urals
Ualyshavo
Pervomayskiy
Krootovik
Krupakiy
Choreashanskiy
'Footnotes follow on
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N -
-V
'/
V
V
2. Beryllium Ore Mines.Continued)
USSR (Continued)
Urals (Continued)
Krasnobolotskly
Sretenakdy
Ostrovskiy
iTc stern Siberia and Al tay
Lake Kazachka Tulata Village Upper Shchyseta Creek Kolyvan Lake Chomal
Chulyshman River
(Watershed) Bashkaus River
(Water shed) Kolyvanskiy Tigirek
Central Asia
-
b/
a/"a/
-
N -a/
Su Qlacier
Akac lor
Dukunok Glacier
Tanyngren Qlacier
Kyrk
Lower Shakb-Oara
PanirK
Sherlovaya
Maty Saktui
Antonova
Kuranzha
Tasejrevo
Anadyr
ChukotskiyRegion
- Iii -
a/
a/
a/
to
2/
2. BeryUiug Ore Mines.Continued) Outer Mongolia
Ulan Bator Manchuria
Hsiaokhinf-an Shan
Huang-Hua-Ko-Tung
North
Chonpul, Kunkansan Uorcnurcho, Kunkansan Slnpungni, Sinpungnl Suraoni, Yanggumyon
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Approximate coordinates.
b. The Bines In the Urals are all in one region about SO kilometersof Sverdlovsk; tho coordinates are-C Includes Kolyma, Yakutskaya ASSR, and Khabarovsk north oflatitude.
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APPEJOK B
CEUTGEHC]
accurate tnfoi of lithium minerals and beryJ in information concerning and consumption of these
tion la available on sources in the Soviet Bloc. The largos keting statistics on current ou* and their compounds.
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APPENDIX C
OY
The estimate of availability of lithium minerals and beryl in the Soviet Bloc ia based on published geologic reports of the occurrences of these materials and ia believed to be firm. Production estimates of ores andwere obtained from various sources. The figures used for the lithliaa and beryllium content of the ores are those used in the US, and these are considered highly reliable, since the ratio of mineral toremains essentially constant for these uinorals regardless of the place found. Figures for the metals and their compounds are based on theprocesses used in the US and Western Europe and those used in Germany before World War II,
Spodumene is indicated as the main lithium mineral. In US practice the lithium oxideontent of spodumene is found toercent. In accordanco with the belief that the Soviet methods of processing the ore are not so effioient, an estimateercent is used for LiaO content. The conversion ofo lithium chloride is computed by using the standard chemical factor used for this type of ore. The estimate thatercent of the lithium chloride produced is being utilized in the production of lithium metal is again based on US and pre-tforld War II German practice,eduction factor applied because efficiency is believed to be lower in the USSR. Estimates of the beryllium content of the ores and concentrates of beryl in the Soviet Bloc were determinedimilar basis.
The estimate of the major utilization of lithium and beryllium metals in the Soviet Bloc is based on the available information on the production and current industrial uses of the metals and the various compounds of the products of these minerals. The estimate that these metals are not in demand for the Soviet nuclear energy program is basedimple lack of evidence indicatingemand. The Soviet Bloc is assumed to be self-sufficient in these materials on the basis of world-wide industrialfor these metals and their compounds and on the lack of evidence indicating that the Soviet Bloc is trying to obtain imports of lithium and beryllium.
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APPENDIX D
SOURCES AND EVALUATION Cf SOURCES
1. Evaluation of Sources-
Source numbers,,ndhich contain for the moot part information on the location of lithium and beryl deposits and theiroutput potential, are the most valuable. Source numbers, andontaining material on uses and substitutes for the finished products, are of value, but they areeneral nature and not so specifically tied to the requirements of the Soviet Bloc, Source mmbersndreeneral nature and were of little use In the preparation of this report,
2- Spurc.es.
Liebman, Trebovonivaachestvu mineralnopo
syrya. Vvr^sk.Industrial Specificationsay Minerala,
Year Rook. US Bureau of Mines,
* a
Reportineral Resources of Southern Korea, SCAP,
Faulconer, Rare Element Mineral Resources of North Korea.
SCAP,5
gtrueUor.for
. Anderson,, Lund, Egpnom,ic Survey:
BsioL. porYlllfl
Aircraft nnd Guided Missiles. Project Rand, USAF,
CIA CO,
Faulconer, pn, cit,
A Collation of Available Information in Russian Texts on Beryllium
and Tantalum Resources of the Soviet Union. State Department, American Embassy,
cr3man, Pegmatites,ol..
D.B. Shiwkin, The Mineral Self-Suff lclencv of the Soviet Union.
WDCS, Industries of the USSR, based on captured German documents,
information
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Original document.
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