Inorganic & Mineral Materials
Here is a list of 15 Inorganic & Mineral Materials categories. It encompasses a wide range including bentonite, quartzite, perlite, silica sand, etc. You can search for an overview, principle, and usage of each category, as well as find manufacturers and distributors.
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See More (15)What Are Inorganic Minerals?
An inorganic mineral is any substance other than the constituents of plants and animals.
An inorganic mineral is a natural inorganic material that meets the following four definitions by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA):
- Naturally occurring materials formed by natural geological processes.
- Naturally occurring solid material.
- Has a well-defined crystal structure.
- Has a well-defined chemical composition.
However, there are exceptions: non-crystalline opal and non-solid mercury are considered minerals.
Types of Inorganic Minerals
Inorganic minerals as industrial products are materials that are artificially manufactured by utilizing mineral materials, such as perlite, or mixed with resins, such as artificial marble or reinforced plastics, rather than directly using the materials themselves.
The uses of perlite are diverse, ranging from daily necessities to industry and construction. For example, perlite is used as a substitute for soil, which is difficult to handle because it gets dirty, while serving the role of soil as a stone with water retention properties as a gardening product.
Reinforced plastics used in automobiles and cell phones to reduce weight and increase strength are made from engineering plastics such as polyamide (nylon) and other plastics that are molded into granular resin pellets with a certain amount of strips of glass fiber mixed in.
Difference Between Ore and Mineral
Ore is a mineral or rock that is considered a resource. Metals such as gold, silver, copper, lead, and iron; rare metals such as titanium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel; fuels such as coal and oil; and gypsum and natural gas are also considered ores.
In addition, gemstones, which are considered resources, are considered ores and minerals, but pearls and synthetic diamonds are not minerals. This is because pearls are organic and man-made diamonds are man-made and therefore violate the definition of minerals. However, minerals that are not of natural origin are sometimes called artificial minerals.
The Ranking of Companies in the Inorganic & Mineral Materials Sector
*This ranking is solely among the companies registered with Metoree, sorted by the number of employees. Please use this as a rough guide to understand their scale.
