ISLAMABAD: Pakistan can reduce its import bill by promoting indigenous production of electromagnets.
Talking to Media, Abdul Bashir, chief geologist with a Balochistan-based exploration firm, Koh-i-Daleel Minerals (Pvt), Ltd, said that usually iron, nickel, copper, cobalt and steel were used to manufacture electromagnets. “All these minerals are abundantly available in the country except steel as it does not occur naturally.”
He said a copper wire is wound around a core of iron, nickel or cobalt to produce an electromagnet. “Current passes through the copper wire and the moving charges create the magnetic fields because the coils then behave like a magnet.”
He said to produce electromagnets in the country, enough raw material in the form of mineral sources was available locally. “Rather than spending a lot of foreign exchange on their import, processing and production units could be established at home.”
Bashir said that electromagnet is a kind of magnet that creates the magnetic field through the electric current. “As compared to the permanent magnets, electromagnets are far more powerful. Electromagnets can be considered as the temporary magnets functioning with the help of an electric current. The strength and polarity of this kind of magnet can be easily altered through a varying flow of the electric current.”
Talking about different natural sources used to produce the electromagnets, Bashir said: “Iron is formed in the sedimentary rocks having the altering silica rich and iron rich layers. These layers are merely composed of iron oxides (magnetite and hematite); iron rich carbonates (ankerite and siderites); and iron rich silicates (greenalite and minnesotaite).”
He said trace amounts of nickel ore occured in the earth’s crsust. “It is usually associated with the ultramafic rocks. It is mainly obtained from two main types of deposits: mineral garnerite and pentlandite (an igneous mafic rock). Cobalt occurs in carbonate rocks hosting the copper, cobalt deposits. Cobalt rich laterite may form as an ultramafic rock.”
“Copper occurs in both igneous and sedimentary rocks within a variety of geological environments. Copper bearing rocks are common in Pakistan. As steel is not a naturally occurring mineral, it is manufactured through iron, oxygen and other naturally occurring minerals. Nickle, cobalt, iron and manganese belong to the same family. Mostly their deposits occur in the areas of igneous rocks and sometimes of sedimentary rocks. In Balochistan province they occur in Chagai, Wad, Khuzdar, Muslim Bagh, and Ras Koh. Near Mastoi, Dilband iron ore is a sedimentary deposit.”
The geologist said that electromagnets were widely used as an important component of other electrical devices, including relays, motors, power generators, loudspeakers, computer hard disks, scientific instruments, magnetic separation equipment, data storage devices, particle separators, mass spectrometers, bullet trains, cranes, and electromechanical solenoids.
Speaking to Media, Imran Babar, a miner and geologist, said stakeholders in the mining sector should be made aware of the value of their mining produce so that they could confidantly invest in the establishment of processing and production units.
By the year 2029, the global electromagnet market is anticipated to grow to $46.96 billion at a compound annual growth rate of 9.9% from $24.25 billion in 2022.–INP
