Article
Article
Beryllium metallurgy
Article By:
Beaver, Wallace W. Formerly, Brush Beryllium Company, Cleveland, Ohio.
Trautman, W. Dean Brush Beryllium Company, Cleveland, Ohio.
Last reviewed:October 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.080000
Production of beryllium and its compounds uses 4000–10,000 tons (3600–9000 metric tons) per year of the mineral beryl. The variant amounts of raw materials reflect wide differences in production rates for the beryllium industry. Beryl, a beryllium-aluminum silicate containing (in commercial grades) about 11–13% beryllium oxide (BeO), 17–19% aluminum oxide (Al2O3), 64–70% silicon dioxide (SiO2), and 1–2% alkali metal oxides, is the only mineral used as a raw material for beryllium. Although beryl ore is widely dispersed throughout the world, it is not concentrated in deposits sufficient to justify direct mining. Beryllium is extremely toxic, if inhaled. Exposure in the workplace where it is mined, processed, or machined, is 0.5 μg/m3 over 10 h, per the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). See also: Beryl
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