7. Uses
Antimony's main uses are in fireproofing and the manufacture of lead- and tin-based alloys, the former being used in particular for battery plates in motor vehicles. Antimony is also used in the chemical, glass, ceramic and paint industries, as well as in medicine and pharmaceuticals. More marginally, it is used as a lubricant for brake pads and in the manufacture of semiconductors (InSb and GaSb).
7.1 Flame retardants
Various antimony compounds, notably the trioxide, are used as flame retardants in flame-retardant fillers incorporated into combustible materials such as plastics, elastomers, textiles, synthetic rubbers, paints or adhesives. These materials are used in the insulating sheathing of electrical wires or cables (power networks, electrical or electronic...
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Uses
Antimony substitutes
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Economic data
1. Antimony mining and recycling
China is by far the world's leading antimony producer (table 1 ), accounting for 90% of global production in 2014, compared with 87% in 2001 [19]. The severe flooding in 2004, which temporarily shut down the main Hunan mines and forced China to temporarily...
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