The Contribution of Industrial Minerals to Sustainable Recovery of Greek Economy

Industrial Minerals and Rocks are the raw materials of economic value that are not classified as metallic minerals, fossil fuels or precious stones. The production and export potential of domestic perlite reveal Greece as a leader both at European and at global level as well as other industrial minerals such as bentonite and magnesite, which also could contribute by a distinctive manner to the economic development of the country. The quality, however, and the processing expertise are important factors in producing special products to meet the needs and market requirements for specific end uses, specifically rare earth elements (REE) as critical strategic minerals in high-tech products. Occurrences and industrial mineral deposits, primarily in North Greece, are examined in relation to their uses, such as feldspars, pozzolan, pumice, kaolin, zeolites, quartz, gypsum, white carbonates.