Faiza Tehseen

Pakistan has huge nitratite deposits waiting to be exploited for indigenous production of nitric acid, which can cut its import bill and the industrial cost. However, these deposits are still a subject of proper study and scientific exploration, said the Chief Geologist of Balochistan-based Koh-e-Daleel Minerals (Pvt), Ltd, Abdul Bashir, while talking to WealthPK.

Sodium nitrate-bearing mineral, nitratite or nitratine, is a rich source of nitric acid. It usually forms in the igneous and sedimentary rocks. In Pakistan, igneous rocks occur in Nagarparkar, Dir, Zhob, Chagai, Las Bela, Swat, Chitral and Gilgit, while the sedimentary rocks are abundantly found across the country. Usually, the ore-grade nitrate deposits are formed in three different ways. The first one is a slow accumulation of old land surfaces with little or no modification since the Miocene, and the second one is the accumulation on lower hills and slope breaks caused by leaching or rainwater re-deposition, while the third one is accumulation in saltpans.

Nitric acid is also known as aqua fortis or the spirit of niter. It is one of the bench acids, called the queen of acids due to its highly corrosive and reactive nature. It is used to manufacture a variety of industrial products, including ammonium nitrate, urea fertilizers, nitrate salts, coal tar products, plastics, polymers, dyes, lacquers, and other industrial chemicals. It is also an important ingredient in rocket liquid fuels (as an oxidizer), nitration of organic chemicals, and explosives like nitro-glycerine, and TNT (trinitrotoluene). Nitric acid is a chemical doping agent in electrochemistry. It is also used to refine gold, metal cleaning, descaling, pH control, and etch designs on steel, brass, and copper. It is a common lab reagent also used as a catalyst in chemical reactions. In the pharma industry, it is used as an intermediary synthesis compound (common substances in pharmaceutical fabrication), while its pure form is used to remove warts.

It is also used in the cleaning of food and dairy equipment, preventing blockage in drippers, improving the saline water quality, and treating drinking and industrial wastewater. In Pakistan, it is compulsory to conduct a thorough investigation to find the minerals bearing industrial chemicals and gases. A proper geological mapping of such minerals will lead to systematic exploration and processing. Sometimes, deposits of Nitratite can occur in the Salt Range. Proper survey execution is necessary to know the exact places of its occurrence. Its quantity can be varied at different places. So, a proper geological survey is important. Local production of industrial chemicals, including nitric acid, will also open a new business and job market. Discussing the importance of local findings of Nitratine and further extraction of nitric acid, with WealthPK, geologist and miner Imran Babar said if the related government departments conduct a proper survey to locate proper places and quantity of minerals that can be useful for extraction of industrial chemicals, it will not only help the local industry grow but also strengthen the mining sector.

“When the miners know the exact importance of their mining produce, they will invest more, opening new windows of opportunities. It will also be beneficial to attract both local and foreign investors,” Imran said. Talking to WealthPK, Islamabad-based goldsmith and refiner Muhammad Akram Attari said nitric acid was vastly used to refine gold. Mostly, it is imported, and fluctuations in its price impact the refining cost. However, its indigenous production can reduce the high price and refining cost.” Globally, the nitric acid market is expected to grow worth $42.7 billion, trailing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% by the year 2033 from worth $30.66 billion in 2023. So, it is high time for the policymakers to consider the importance of local exploration of Nitratite and production of nitric acid.

Credit: INP-WealthPk