# Feldspar: Emissions

Why feldspar's carbon footprint is tiny

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/emissions/

Why feldspar's carbon footprint is tiny What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 0.03 t CO2e per t range 0.01-0.08 · cradle-to-gate; derived from diesel for quarrying plus about 30-80 kWh/t (assumed) for crushing, grinding, flotation and drying Global emissions per year 1.00 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · about 0.03 t CO2e/t x 31 Mt

Per 1 t of ground feldspar at plant gate (cradle-to-gate). Intensity: Indicative, derived; no public sector average found. Global total: Derived from USGS MCS 2026.

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Extraction 25% Refining / processing 60% Movement 15%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Extraction** | about 0.005-0.01 t CO2e/t (indicative) | 25% | drilling, blasting and diesel loaders in open pits; hand sorting in India | Pegmatite and granite need blasting; feldspathic sands do not | Indicative |
| **Refining / processing** | about 0.01-0.05 t CO2e/t (indicative) | 60% | crushing, ball milling, flotation, magnetic separation, drying | Low-iron flotation grades use more energy than crude ground feldspar; grid intensity matters (high in India and Turkey) | Indicative; derived |
| **Movement** | about 0.005 t CO2e/t for a 2,000 km Aegean-Mediterranean voyage (indicative) | 15% | bulk shipping Turkey to Spain and Italy; trucks Rajasthan to Morbi | Bulk carriers at about 3-10 g CO2 per t-km | IMO Fourth GHG Study 2020 (indicative); derived |
| **Usage** | not applicable directly; enabling | – | feldspar is melted into glass and fired into tiles | Its fluxing lowers firing temperature, but the kiln and furnace fuel use (natural gas) is far larger than feldspar's own footprint | USGS MCS 2026 |
| **Recycling / end of life** | not published | – | glass cullet reduces feldspar demand; ceramic waste can be milled back into bodies | EU end-of-life recycling input rate 1% | EU CRM 2023; USGS MCS 2026 |

#### Other environmental impacts

Quarry land disturbance and dust; crystalline silica exposure in milling; flotation reagent residues.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Renewable or low-carbon power for grinding mills
- Shorter supply chains: Indian and Turkish clusters already sit near tile plants
- Higher cullet use in glass and recycled ceramic waste in tile bodies
- Use of feldspar and nepheline syenite to cut firing temperature and kiln fuel

#### India

India is the largest producer by USGS estimate (6.0 Mt in 2025); its footprint is dominated by the Morbi tile kilns that consume it, which switched from coal gasifiers to natural gas after a 2019 National Green Tribunal order (indicative).
 Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/feldspar/links/index.md)