Industrial Minerals

Bromine

Salt water and carnallite (a mineral used in fertilizers) from the Dead Sea is extracted by the Dead Sea Bromine Group. They produce bromine, as well as bromine products that are used in air conditioning, batteries, cleaning solvents, flame retardants, mineral separation, oil drilling, photography, and water treatment. More than 90% of bromine sales is from exports. Dead Sea Bromine Group accounts for 35% of the world’s bromine production.


Cement

Nesher Israel Cement Enterprises Ltd. is the country’s only producer of cement. There are three plants, located in Haifa, Har-Tuv, Ramla. These plants had a total production capacity of 8 million tons per year. Exports are mostly shipped to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. All imported cement comes from Turkey, and hard bricks come from Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey.


Diamond

Fabrikant & Salant Ltd., L.L.D. Diamonds Ltd., and Schachter & Namdar Polishing Works Ltd. are the largest exporters of diamond in Israel. In 2001, the value of imported rough diamond totaled $3.37 billion. Nearly $1.03 billion of rough diamond was re-exported in 2001.


Nitrogen

Israel imports about 85,000 tons of nitrogen. Most ammonia imports are from the Ukraine. Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd., Haifa Chemicals, and Rotem Amfert Negev Ltd. produce compound fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous.


Phosphate
Israel’s phosphate rock resources are mines by Rotem Amfert Negev Ltd. This company produces phosphoric acid, and fertilizers like monopotassium phosphate, single superphosphate, and triple superphosphate. Rotem exports nearly 30% of its phosphate rock.


Potash
Carnallite that contains potassium from the Dead Sea was mined as raw material for DSW’s potash plants. This company is the world’s fourth largest producer of potash. About 87% of the potash is exported to other countries. Brazil is the largest buyer of Israel’s potash, at 26% of the total exports.



Silica Sand
Negev Industrial Minerals, which is located in Hatira, mines and screened high-purity silica sand, which is used in ceramics, construction, die casting, and flat and container glass industries.

Sulfur
Israel’s production of sulfur averages to nearly 33,000 tons per year. Sulfur is produced in Ashdod and Haifa, in plants operated by Oil Refineries Ltd. Most of Israel’s demand for sulfur is met by importing it. About 68% of Israel’s sulfuric acid is used in producing fertilizer.