Potential from marine sources. A few barite nodules have been found on the continental shelves but 

 no extensive deposit is known. Barite occurs in large quantities in pelagic sediments of the eastern Pacific 

 Ocean, ^ and barite might also occur as lode-type deposits in rocks of the continental shelves. A few 

 small low grade occurrences are known in California, for example, in rocks that project into the shelves. 

 However, the overall prospects for significant barite production from marine sources is poor. 



BROMINE 



Uses. The main use of bromine is in additives for gasoline. Smaller quantities are used in the 

 manufacture of fireretarding and fireproofing materials, fire extinguishers, fumigating mixtures, 

 sanitizing additives for swimming pool water, bleaches, photographic emulsions, laboratory reagents, and 

 medicinal and pharmaceutical preparations.^ 



Present levels of utilization of bromine in pounds. 



World (1966 production) 349,000,000 



United States (1966 demand) . 267,000,000 



Range of demand projections in million pounds to the year 2000. 



Prospective supplies and prices. Bromine is recovered as a coproduct of magnesium in sea water and 

 waste liquors from potash plants. Additional potential byproduct recovery may be feasible from oil field 

 brines and desalting brines. Utilization of these potential sources would tend to increase available supply 

 and lower processing costs. No new processes are known that would decrease costs of producing bromine 

 products. 



Bromine price levels are dependent on chemical extraction costs, pricing policy, and competition. 

 Prices have been relatively stable at 32-33 cents per pound for a number of years. 



Possible substitute materials. The chemical properties of chlorine and iodine are similar to those of 

 bromine and these materials are sometimes substituted for bromine. Some substitutes for ethylene 

 dibromide-tetraethyl lead antiknock fluid have been introduced, but the use of ethylene dibromide has 

 continued to grow. 



Potential from marine sources. Bromine, like magnesium, is obtained from sea water and the resource 

 potential is therefore virtually unlimited. Demand and plant capacity will determine how much bromine 

 is produced from the sea. 



^G. Arrhenius and E. Bonatti, "Eolian Sedimentation in the Pacific Off Northern Mexico," Manne Geology, Vol. 3, 

 No. 5,1965. 



^Leo J. Miller, "The Origin of Sedimentary Phosphate Deposits," Mining Engineering, Vol. 16, No. 12, p. 87, 1964; 

 Economic Geology, Vol. 59, No. 8, pp. 1619-1620, 1964. 



VII-129 



