Refractories are necessary in the metallurgical, cement, glass, and machine tools industries where kilns and furnaces are used for value addition process to materials. Dolomite refractories are currently in use in some countries such as China, France, England India etc. Dolomite refractories have wide applications in the steel industry where it is used in open hearth, basic oxygen converters and other steel refining systems.
Dolomite is environmentally friendly and can be used for the production of pure and extra low carbon steels. Dolomite that is ceramically bonded exhibit high hot erosion resistance. Good quality dolomite, with low silica content is thermo dynamically stable and has a significantly high heat sink characteristics. These qualities make dolomite refractory preferable to silica, alumina and even magnesite chrome refractories. Dolomite mineral is a double carbonate of calcium and magnesium having the formula CaMg [CO3M4]. It is slightly hard, transparent, and forms rhombohedronas its typical crystal habit. Dolomite used for refractory purpose should be hard and compact with uniform texture containing very low percentages of iron, silica, alumina etc.
Few Indian Major Players are as under
· Aditya Lime Inds. Ltd.
· Bisra Stone Lime Co. Ltd.
· Century Plyboards (India) Ltd.
· Essel Mining & Inds. Ltd.
· Femnor Mineral (India) Ltd.
· Kohinoor Steel Pvt. Ltd.
· M M T C Ltd.
· Maharashtra State Mining Corpn. Ltd.
· Mahavir Minerals Ltd.
· C L India Ltd.
· Rashmi Cement Ltd.
· Trimex Industries Pvt. Ltd.