Southern Tunisia has the 4th largest Jurassic gypsum deposit in the world. It outcrops in a N-S direction over a length of 100 km and a width of 10 km. There are two known quarries in the Tataouine governorate. They have a very high whiteness index and are used in the production of gypsum (95%) and as an additive to white cement. They are also covered by several mining permits.
However, according to scientific studies presented on various occasions and available on the Internet, Tunisian soil contains other types of gypsum, depending on the geological age, at Meknassy and in the Gafsa region, which are very good for making plaster and also as an additive to white cement. The national production of this useful substance is currently around 600,000 tons, most of which is used to make plaster.
These are just a few eloquent examples of Tunisia’s natural wealth of useful substances with high added value, making it a promising sector for the creation of highly profitable projects by Tunisian and other national promoters and investors.
Commendable efforts have long and continuously been made by the relevant Tunisian departments and bodies, such as the National Mining Office, the Institute for Strategic Studies and regional and local industrial promotion bodies, to promote these resources to investors. Recently, a colloquium was held in Zarzis, Medenine governorate in southern Tunisia, on the potential of this region, particularly in the field of minerals and the opportunities for industrial exploitation.
However, the potential is far from exhausted, so great is it and so great is the need to continue and intensify promotion and awareness-raising campaigns.
By definition, raw materials are rocks or minerals used for their physical properties (colour, transparency, hardness, fusibility, etc.). In Tunisia, in addition to salts, this category includes carbonate rocks, clay rocks, sandy rocks and gypsum rocks.
These raw materials are regulated by the Tunisian Mining Code.
1,000 sites identified
A 2012 study on the significant potential of natural raw materials in Médenine made recommendations that are still valid today, including the need to strengthen the basic infrastructure and road network leading to potential sites, increase the number of detailed studies on the development of certain useful minerals, train managers and specialised technicians, and combat uncontrolled exploitation, resolve land ownership issues and raise awareness.
As far as phosphate is concerned, everyone will say that it is found in the Gafsa mining basin and in the Sra Ouertane region of Kef.
However, there is a large deposit in the Tozeur-Nefta region that has been waiting to be exploited for years.
According to the results of the ONM and other scientific surveys, Tunisia’s mineral deposits are divided into 274 carbonate deposits, 198 clay deposits, 101 sand deposits and 39 gypsum deposits. In addition, the total number of sites identified by the ONM in 2018 in the 24 governorates of Tunisia amounts to more than 1,000 sites (all substances together), spread throughout the country.
Hence, limestone has many uses: it is used as a building material for paving and masonry, as an ornamental stone and in column sculptures. It is also used as a raw material in the lime industry (metallurgy as a flux, alkali chemistry (caustic soda, bicarbonate, etc.), glass construction, ceramics, bricks, aerated concrete and paper industry).
Silica sand offers real investment opportunities in the extractive industry. It contributes to regional and national development and is a very important resource from an economic point of view (backfill, concrete aggregates, building materials) and a raw material for the glass industry, foundries, soda silicate production, ceramics, red products, electronics industry, semiconductors and solar panels.
Common clays are rocks that are widely distributed on the earth’s surface. In Tunisia, most clays are common clays (Sahel: Zeramdine, Jammel) for the production of terracotta and red products for the construction industry (bricks).
These raw materials are therefore essential and highly strategic raw materials for a number of industries that are vital to the economy: cement, construction, public works, glassmaking, ceramics, refractory materials, photovoltaics, high-tech industries, etc. It is therefore essential to put in place all the necessary measures and resources to benefit more effectively from the added value of these raw materials.
