Dolomite is a mountain mineral belonging to the carbonates species. Beautiful, rock-building, steadfast and fire resistant, practical and popular all over the world stone was named after the French mineralogist and chemist by surname Dolomieu who lived in the end of XVIII century. Russian architects loved this rock of stone and used it actively. Today dolomite is used almost in every finishing and constructing work.
Colors of dolomite
Standard colors of dolomite are white and gray however one can meet other shades: yellowish, reddish, brownish, pink and others. Dolomite can be transparent and semitransparent. Colors of dolomite are very harmoniously combined with all natural and artificial materials.
Advantages of dolomite
• Longevity;
• Cold-resistance;
• Fire-resistance;
• Usability;
• Ecological compatibility;
• Tooling quality;
• Aesthetic quality.
Practical application
Dolomite is used in many spheres of industry and in ordinary lives. The stone is used in a manufacturing of rubber and insects repellents. Dolomite can be used for facing, manufacturing tiles, borders, building arches and making statues. Dolomite powder is added to building compositions, pastes and paints. Besides it is useful as a fertilizer agent and for alkalization of soil.
Fields of application
• Construction;
• Medicine;
• Landscape design
• Porcelain production;
• Metallurgy;
• Paper production;
• Chemical industry;
• Agriculture;
• Glass hardening;
Dolomite qualities for a constructing industry are a real gem because it is an excellent decorative and facing material and used in special brands of cement. Calcinated dolomite is used for casing as a refractory in furnaces in metallurgical industry and when producing glass of increased durability and hardness. Ground dolomite is one of the best options for dry building compositions. Dolomite is met in different kinds of sealing compounds, pastes, linoleums, rubber technical goods, paint products.
Dolomite quarries
Mineral deposits are found in places where there is salt water – on the shores of seas and lakes and also hydrothermal zones. The largest deposits are located in Mexico, Canada and the USA, Spain, Italy, Switzerland. In Russia the mineral is mined in the Caucasus, the South Urals, in the Volga region.
Quarries are created for extracting dolomite. The mineral is mines with the help of blasting used for boreholes otherwise drilling and blasting operations. During processing the extracted material is coming through burning, crushing and if necessary is ground.
Oil is extracted from fissured dolomite in Irkutsk region: Ichyodinsky oilfield, Danilovsky oil and gas condensate field. In the Volga region there are large and medium oilfields: Bobrovskoye, Tarkhan, Sorochinsko-Nikolskoye fields.
Dolomite in construction
Most people don’t have a hunch how much dolomite there is in their houses. Natural material with an interesting pattern and some natural shades allows producing a high-quality finishing stone for facade works. It can be relief and polished. Relief tiles give the building some touch of ancientry and at the same time neatness and good quality. Polished dolomite slab is more officious and ceremonial. The buildings faced with dolomite are elegant and modern.
Except facades dolomite slabs are used for facing stairs, rampant, external and internal window sills. Being processed dolomite is getting a similarity to marble and granite. Limestone dolomite like calcareous tufa and shell limestone are used in houses’ construction in these days. Such houses are comfortable for living, it’s cool in hot summer time and in winter a considerable part of heating is kept inside due to a relatively loose nature of the material.
Relief panels of dolomite go well together with glued wooden beam. Such houses are practiced in countryside construction and blend in with the landscape. Except a decorative function basement stone carries out a protective task. Facing tiles of dolomite is cold-resistant and not much subjected to temperature differences. Quality facing tiles is made of homogeneous in density material; it’s resistant to external conditions, doesn’t delaminate or crumble.
For interior works dolomite is used as a decorative finishing of fireplaces, swimming pools premises and winter gardens. Imitation of brick laying, rock section or stone walls are trendy nowadays. In combination with the sculptures of granite, marble or dolomite, wall finishing with natural material brings a special flavor. Decorative finishing of dolomite requires spacious premises. Light polished floor of dolomite can decorate any room, add more light and volume.
Dolomite is a far relative of marble so it results in magnificent sculptures. In ancient Russia it was used for building churches and household facilities. Most of the buildings today are included in the category of architectural masterpieces.
Ecological features of dolomite
Facing tiles of dolomite represent an absolutely ecological material which has filtering qualities. It has a beneficial effect on indoor microclimate. For example if you moisten a wall of dolomite in the room there will be an optimal wet microclimate.
In a cold time if the year dolomite will keep the heat more effectively than glass or concrete. Due to its organic origin and sea microorganisms contents the premises finished with this mineral can be named organically clear and safe.
