WHAT IS FLUORSPAR USED FOR?
Fluorspar is used extensively as a flux in the steel industry, but over 50 percent of the spar produced in Illinois in 1963 was consumed in the manufacture of hydrofluoric acid. A large portion of this acid production is used in the aluminum industry. Hydrofluoric acid is also employed in the preparation of many fluorine compounds, particularly those used in the production of fluorocarbons (refrigerants, plastics, aerosols), insecticides, and high-energy fuels for rockets and missiles. The fluorocarbons utilize about 40 percent of the hydrofluoric acid production.