Direct mechanochemical conversion of celestite to SrCO₃

The celestite concentrate obtained from Barite Mining Company (Sivas-Turkey) was converted to strontium carbonate using sodium carbonate in a planetary ball mill operated both in dry and wet modes. After wet planetary milling of celestite concentrate and sodium carbonate mixture, solid strontium carbonate and soluble Na₂SO₄ were obtained. The conversion reaction were followed by dissolution and sulphate analyses after high-energy milling operations. The 10, 20 and 40 min of wet milling experiments were performed in a planetary mill and the results showed that over 90% of dissolution and conversion of initial celestite to strontium carbonate was achievable by high-energy milling.