Estanho na Amazônia: o apogeu e o caso da produção

Abstract

In Brazil, in the Amazon Region, tin ore (cassiterite) is largely obtained by open-cast mining, via the dredging of alluvial deposits, extraction of primary ore or from small-scale prospecting. The resulting concentrate (SnO2, which contains 60% tin) is then transformed, via reduction in electric furnaces, into tin ingots. The metal is primarily used for the production of tin plate - fine steel plates coated with tin and used in the manufacture of cans for food, beverages and chemical products, as well as in the production of solder and other alloys for industry in general (particularly the auto and electrical/electronic segments). The country’s most important mine is Pitinga (purity of 55, 3%), located 300 km to the north of Manaus (AM) and owned by Paranapanema. Pitinga also has proven reserves of columbite-tantalite, cryolite and zirconite, containing rare earths and yttrium, whose economic feasibility is still being studied. There are also lodes in the state of Rondônia, including the Bom Futuro mine (purity of 58%), in the municipality of Ariquemes, where the great majority of small and medium-scale prospectors operate. Currently, Brazil is the fourth largest producer, after Indonesia, China and Peru).