Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, Baku, Azerbaijan:

Z. J. Efendieva, Associate Professor, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, efendi2005@rambler.ru

Azerbaijan is rich in metallic, nonmetallic and fossil fuel minerals. Nonmetallics and metallics are widely spread in the Lesser and Greater Caucasus, fossil fuels occur in the valleys of the South Caspian basin. Metallic minerals include ores of basic, nonferrous, alloy, noble and rare metals. Ferrous industry involves mining and processing of iron ore, iron smelting and steel making, manufacture of rolled products and ferroalloys. The largest centers of the ferrous metallurgy in Azerbaijan are Baku, Sumgait and Dashkesan. Nearby the Dashkesan iron ore field, a mining and processing integrated works is operating. It sends concentrates to an ironworks at Rustavi, Georgia. The Sumgait pipe plant manufactures rolled metal products. Azerbaijan’s ferrous industry development is greatly contributed to by the Dashsalakhlin deposit of bentonite used in steel making. Rapid advance in the nonferrous industry of the country is possible thanks to sufficient resources of copper, lead, zinc and alunite. The nonferrous metallurgy is represented by the Sumgait and Gyandzha aluminum works, Baku and Gyandzha nonferrous metal processing works, as well as the Sumgait rolled aluminum works. Considerable resources of complex ore (Cu, Pb and Zn) are concentrated in the Filizchai deposit on the south slope of the Greater Caucasus, as well as in the Nakhichevan and Mekhman deposits in the region of the Karabakh Mountain. The first-listed deposit is unique both in terms of ore resources and composition of concentrate. Alongside with basic ore-forming minerals, this ore contains tens of elements of commercial value (Ag, Au, Ni, Co, Ga, Сd, Ti, Pb), the best portion of which are recoverable using the current level technologies. At the present time, the top suppliers of the nonferrous metallurgy in Azerbaijan are the Zaglik deposit of alunite, Paragchai deposit of molybdenum and Filizchai group of deposits of polymetal sulphide ore.

1. Volkov A. M. Public subsoil use administration in foreign legislation. The Legal Initiative. 2013. No. 11. Available at: http://49e.ru/ru/2013/11/14 (accessed: 28.07.2018).
2. Kozlovsky E. A. Natural resources in the economy of Russia and in the world. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2015. No. 7. pp. 47–53. DOI: 10.17580/gzh.2015.07.07
3. He Zixin, Zhang Dandan, Liu Mingyi, Li Jianxing. Mineral resource base of China. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2017. No. 7. pp. 32–38. DOI: 10.17580/gzh.2017.07.06
4. Botta E., Koźluk T. Measuring environmental policy stringency in OECD countries – a composite index approach : Economics Department Working Papers. OECD, 2014. No. 1177. Available at: http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=ECO/WKP(2014)73&docLanguage=En (accessed: 15.04.2018).
5. Gilberthorpe E., Papyrakis E. The extractive industries and development: The resource curse at the micro, meso and macro levels. The Extractive Industries and Society. 2015. Vol. 2, Iss. 2. pp. 381–390.
6. Costanza R. A theory of socio-ecological system change. Journal of Bioeconomics. 2014. Vol. 16, Iss. 1. pp. 39–44.
7. Farley J., Costanza R., Flomenhoft G., Kirk D. The Vermont Common Assets Trust: An institution for sustainable, just and efficient resource allocation. Ecological Economics. 2015. Vol. 109. pp. 71–79.
8. Costanza R., Fioramonti L., Kubiszewski I. The UN Sustainable Development Goals and the dynamics of well‐being. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 2016. Vol. 14, Iss. 2. p. 59.
9. Mineral resources of Azerbaijan. Baku : Ozan, 2005. 807 p.
10. Geology of Azerbaijan. Baku : Nafta Press, 2003. Vol. VI. Minerals. 576 p.
11. Efendiyeva Z. J. Raw material resources base of the iron-and-steel industry in Azerbaijan: Stateof-the art and development prospects. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2017. No. 10. pp. 9–12. DOI: 10.17580/gzh.2017.10.02
12. Mamedov Sh. N. Dashkesan Cobalt Field Development. Baku, 1958. 141 p.
13. Nagiev V. N. Ore Deposits in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Baku : Elm, 2007. 596 p.
14. Nagiev V. N., Mamedov I. A. Minerals of the Nakhichyvan Autonomous Republic. Baku, 2009. 276 p.
15. Baba-Zade V. M., Makhmudov A. I., Ramazanov V. G. Copper and Molybdenum Porphyry Ore Deposits. Baku : Azerneshr, 1990. 375 p.
16. Efendiyeva Z. J., Korol Yu. A., Popova G. I. Rational use of natural resources in Azerbaijan. Tsvetnye Metally. 2018. No. 1. pp. 57–62. DOI: 10.17580/tsm.2018.01.07
17. Efendieva Z. J., Khalifazade Ch. M. Economic Problems and Environmental Challenges in Ore Mining in Azerbaijan. Journal of Mining Science. 2018. Vol. 54, Iss. 1. pp. 166–172.
18. Kashkay M. A. Alunite, their genesis and use. In two volumes. Moscow : Nedra, 1970. 717 p.
19. Baba-Zade V. M., Musaev Sh. D., Nasibov T. N. Gold of Azerbaijan. Baku, 2003. 423 p.
20. Mamedov M., Mukhtarov G. G., Shirinov Yu. R. Kedabek. Baku : Nasir, 2005. 230 p.
21. Baba-Zade V. M., Nasibov N. T., Nasibov T. N. Mercury, Antimony and Arsenic Deposits of Azerbaijan. Baku : Nafta Press, 2001. 142 p.