The pumice mine, which is used as a raw material in the chemical industry and many sectors, has just started to be processed in Bitlis when it was about to run out all over the world.

The pumice mine, which is used as a raw material in the chemical industry and many sectors, has just started to be processed in Bitlis when it was about to run out all over the world.

The pumice mine, which is only found in Italy, Greece and Turkey throughout the world, has come to the point of exhaustion in two other countries except Turkey. In Turkey, 70 percent of Turkey's reserves of pumice, which is also mined in Afyon, Isparta, Nevşehir, and Erciyes, is found only in Bitlis. The fact that the pumice building material, which is about to be consumed all over the world and is called white gold today, has 70 percent of Turkey's reserves adds a special importance to Bitlis. It can be used as a raw material in the industry.

Pumice mine, which is mainly used as an insulation material in the construction sector in Turkey, is also sent from Bitlis to many parts of the country. Stating that Bitlis has 70 percent of Turkey's reserves in pumice mining, Tatvan Chamber of Industry and Commerce Chairman Bilal Dağdağan said, “Pumice mine is a very important resource for Bitlis in the mining sector. It is especially important that the Nemrut Caldera and Mount Süphan are here. This area and its surroundings are made up of volcanic tuffs. This is a great boon for the region in terms of mining. Between Tatvan and Adilcevaz, we have a large concentration of pelite and pumice deposits.”

“PUMICE IS ALSO USED IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY”

Pointing out that pumice is a rare substance in the world, Mayor Dağdağan said, “Pumice is a material used as a construction and especially investment material. This substance can be used as a raw material in many sectors, especially in the defense industry, construction, agriculture, textile and chemistry sectors. It is possible to come across this mine especially in areas with volcanic remains. The world reserve is about to run out, but it is possible to come across this substance mostly in Turkey. This mine is located in Afyon, Isparta, Nevşehir, Erciyes and Bitlis in Turkey. The reserves in regions other than Bitlis are generally an acidic material. The pumice mine located on the border of Bitlis is a substance with a basic structure. The substance here is also a raw and homogeneous substance. In other regions, this substance is mixed and polluted, but it is a homogeneous substance both in terms of structure and very light. Despite its high added value, the biggest problem here is the transportation problem. Because the mine, which is produced very cheaply, unfortunately causes problems due to transportation problems and high transportation costs,” he said. The owner of the BIMS Pumice Operation Factory in Tatvan, Selahattin Eret, explained that they extracted the pumice mine by means of construction machinery and brought it to the factory and processed it.

Emphasizing that pumice is worth the white gold of the future, Mr. Element said, “Pumice is found in 3 countries in the world. In these two countries except Turkey, this mine is about to run out. That's why we need to process this mine in our country better, but unfortunately we cannot open to the domestic market due to logistics problems. Since the logistics of the region is by train, we cannot overcome the logistics problems due to the regional problems of the train. If the logistics is opened to the region, 70 percent of Turkey's pumice reserve is in Bitlis. When we look at Bitlis, there are currently about 15 pumice factories, large and small. Why not increase that number to 100? All of these are possible, but we are experiencing difficulties in transportation because road transport is expensive and the problems on the train route cannot be solved. I believe that we will export more once these problems are overcome.”

 

Source :economy.milliyet

📩 09/09/2013 21:35