Mineral Many sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores; examples include sphalerite (ZnS), an ore of zinc, galena (PbS), an ore of lead, cinnabar (HgS), an ore of mercury, and molybdenite (MoS, an ore of molybdenum. Pyrite (FeS), is the most commonly occurring sulfide, and can be found in most geological environments. It is not, however, an ore of iron, but can be instead oxidized to produce sulfuric acid. Related to the sulfides are the rare sulfosalts, in which a metallic element is bonded to sulfur and a semimetal such as antimony, arsenic, or bismuth. Like the sulfides, sulfosalts are
Mineral industry of Paraguay shown interest in the country, which could support continued economic growth and foreign direct investment (FDI) in new technologies well into the next decade. In 2006, Paraguay produced mostly cement, clays, iron ore, natural gas, pig iron, and steel. Paraguay's mineral reserves and resources were unidentified. The mineral industry of Paraguay mostly consists of Paraguayan state-owned firms. The structure of the country's mineral industry would, however, change, particularly in the natural gas sector, to a privately and/or joint-venture owned, government-regulated regime from one that was only government owned (Banco Central del Paraguay, 2007). FDI inflows to Mercosur increased to $25.1