XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3 1299
faster between the 1990s to the early 2000s, reaching a
peak near the year 2005, with a yearly production exceed-
ing 500,000 tonnes. However, a subsequent sharp decline
in the late 2000s led to current production levels stabilising
between 300,000 and 400,000 tonnes annually.
The changes in global production observed in Figure 2
can be associated, among other variables, with shifts in the
production share by different countries. Figure 3 shows the
estimated global production of celestine per country, based
on reports by USGS from 1998 to 2023. It can be observed
that by the end of the 20th century, Mexico led the global
production of celestine, followed by Spain. Mexico’s share
of the global market quickly decreased in the following
years, being replaced by China, which by the year 2010
dominated global production with almost 200,000 tonnes
per year. Chinese production, however, commenced a steep
decrease after 2012, accompanied by the irruption of Iran
as a new global competitor. Notably, Spain has remained an
important global producer of celestine for the last 25 years.
According to the latest EU report (European
Commission, 2023), Iran leads the global strontium pro-
duction with a 37% share of the market, followed by Spain
(34%) and China (16%). Although figures vary slightly in
the latest USGS report (USGS, 2023), highlighting Spain
as the main producer of strontium with 130,000 tonnes per
year, followed by Iran (110,000 tpy) and China (80,000
tpy), it remains clear that these three countries lead the
production of this commodity. Moreover, Spain continues
to be the EU’s main supplier of strontium, accounting for
99% of the supply, ensuring the EU’s negligible import reli-
ance (European Commission, 2023).
The marked shifts in the global production observed in
Figure 2 and Figure 3 can be explained by drastic changes
in the end-use distribution of strontium, illustrated in
Figure 4 for the period from 1975 to the mid-2000s.
Strontium’s primary application during that period was in
the faceplate glass of Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) for tele-
visions and monitors, as strontium prevented X-ray emis-
sion (Andreola et al., 2007 Engelsen, 2008 USGS, 2020).
In the year 2000, 77% of the strontium consumption was
used for CRTs, particularly in the production of Shadow
Mask CRTs used in the Colour Display Tube (CDT). The
growth of the production of Shadow Mask CRTs was also
motivated by the disruptive need for monitors for Personal
Computers (PCs). However, the advent of Liquid Crystal
Display (LCD) led to a rapid decline in demand for CRTs
within a couple of years (Engelsen, 2008), marking a piv-
otal shift in strontium consumption dynamics. The change
in display technology from CRTs to LCD strongly corre-
lates with the production dynamics observed in Figure 2.
The stabilisation of global production in the last
decades can be attributed to the expansion and diversifica-
tion of strontium applications and their markets. Figure 5
shows the estimated share of strontium in different end-use
Figure 3. Estimated global production of celestine by country. Data from USGS (1998–2023)
faster between the 1990s to the early 2000s, reaching a
peak near the year 2005, with a yearly production exceed-
ing 500,000 tonnes. However, a subsequent sharp decline
in the late 2000s led to current production levels stabilising
between 300,000 and 400,000 tonnes annually.
The changes in global production observed in Figure 2
can be associated, among other variables, with shifts in the
production share by different countries. Figure 3 shows the
estimated global production of celestine per country, based
on reports by USGS from 1998 to 2023. It can be observed
that by the end of the 20th century, Mexico led the global
production of celestine, followed by Spain. Mexico’s share
of the global market quickly decreased in the following
years, being replaced by China, which by the year 2010
dominated global production with almost 200,000 tonnes
per year. Chinese production, however, commenced a steep
decrease after 2012, accompanied by the irruption of Iran
as a new global competitor. Notably, Spain has remained an
important global producer of celestine for the last 25 years.
According to the latest EU report (European
Commission, 2023), Iran leads the global strontium pro-
duction with a 37% share of the market, followed by Spain
(34%) and China (16%). Although figures vary slightly in
the latest USGS report (USGS, 2023), highlighting Spain
as the main producer of strontium with 130,000 tonnes per
year, followed by Iran (110,000 tpy) and China (80,000
tpy), it remains clear that these three countries lead the
production of this commodity. Moreover, Spain continues
to be the EU’s main supplier of strontium, accounting for
99% of the supply, ensuring the EU’s negligible import reli-
ance (European Commission, 2023).
The marked shifts in the global production observed in
Figure 2 and Figure 3 can be explained by drastic changes
in the end-use distribution of strontium, illustrated in
Figure 4 for the period from 1975 to the mid-2000s.
Strontium’s primary application during that period was in
the faceplate glass of Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) for tele-
visions and monitors, as strontium prevented X-ray emis-
sion (Andreola et al., 2007 Engelsen, 2008 USGS, 2020).
In the year 2000, 77% of the strontium consumption was
used for CRTs, particularly in the production of Shadow
Mask CRTs used in the Colour Display Tube (CDT). The
growth of the production of Shadow Mask CRTs was also
motivated by the disruptive need for monitors for Personal
Computers (PCs). However, the advent of Liquid Crystal
Display (LCD) led to a rapid decline in demand for CRTs
within a couple of years (Engelsen, 2008), marking a piv-
otal shift in strontium consumption dynamics. The change
in display technology from CRTs to LCD strongly corre-
lates with the production dynamics observed in Figure 2.
The stabilisation of global production in the last
decades can be attributed to the expansion and diversifica-
tion of strontium applications and their markets. Figure 5
shows the estimated share of strontium in different end-use
Figure 3. Estimated global production of celestine by country. Data from USGS (1998–2023)