Wollastonite is a calcium metasilicate mineral (CaSiO3) that may contain small amounts of aluminium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and sodium. It is usually white. It forms when impure limestone is subjected to high temperature and pressure sometimes in the presence of silica-bearing fluids. In the United States, wollastonite is mined in New York. China is the leading producing country. Some of the properties that make wollastonite so useful are its high brightness and whiteness, low moisture and oil absorption, and low volatile content. Wollastonite is used primarily in ceramics, friction products (brakes and clutches), metalmaking, paint, and plastics. It is named after the English chemist and mineralogist William Hyde Wollaston.
Important Uses:
- Asbestos substitutes
- Ceramics
- Friction products
- Metallurgy
- Paint
- Plastics
Examples
- Battery, lead-acid automotive
- Joint compound
- Paints and coatings
- Sink, ceramic
- Tile, ceramic
- Toilet, ceramic
See also: List of minerals
Last updated: 09-02-2005 02:51:38
