General information

Shungite stone

Shungite stone – rocks that got their name from the Karelian village of Shunga and Tolvuya, initially attracted attention as a possible energy fuel. But attempts to burn them, fortunately, were not successful.
In the XXI century, they are included in economic life as a multi – purpose raw material for various industries and spheres of life – metallurgy, chemistry, construction, utilities, and as the name of the conference and the topic of the reports shows-a promising material for solving many complex environmental problems and improving the human environment in today’s densely populated urban world.
This is due to the unique set of properties and benefit of shungites.

What is shungite stone?
what is shungite stone, what are its properties and characteristics

Shungite stone is:

  • a natural antioxidant that can increase human immunity against many serious diseases;
  • a sorbent that purifies water and air from many organic and inorganic compounds;
  • raw shungite stone it’s a catalyst that provides decomposition of sorbed organic substances and restoration of sorption properties;
  • carrier of a wide range of trace elements and biologically active substances that intensify biological processes in the human and animal bodies;
  • material that actively interacts with electromagnetic fields of various nature (anthropogenic high-frequency, solar, geopathogenic, biofields) and neutralizes their negative impact.

By the beginning of the XXI century, industrial reserves of shungite were found only in Karelia. Today shungite stone is a purely Karelian mineral. Taking into account the geographical locality of shungite distribution and the associated limited reserves, it is necessary to use this unique mineral very wisely and prudently, directing its use to those areas where it will show its useful properties to the maximum. Of course, first of all, this is the sphere of ensuring human health.
The first all-Russian scientific and practical conference “Black stone and human life safety” is dedicated to these issues.

Shungite stone Zazhogino deposit, Karelia, Russia
Shungite stone Zazhogino deposit, Karelia, Russia

Shungite chemical formula

Three types of shungite

  • Shungite 1 type (elite shungite)
  • Shungite 2 type (Petrovsky shungite)
  • Shungite 3 type (black color shungite, regular, classic shungite)

Shungite stone is divided into three types. Each type of shungite differs in color and chemical composition. The rarest and most valuable shungite has a silver color and contains about 98% carbon. This is the first type of shungite (descriptive adjectives like Elite or Noble are used in colloquial speech)

The second type is gray shungite, which has a matte surface and does not shine like elite. Colloquially, it has a name – Petrovsky shungite. The carbon content is about 60%.

And finally the third type is black shungite. Colloquially also known as – regular, classic shungite. The carbon content is about 30%. Yes, it is much lower than the two previous types. But it was black shungite that became the object of worldwide scientific research during which its ability to absorb EMF and purify water was discovered.

We are located and manufacture our products in Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia. This is the only deposit of shungite stone. We made a private chemical analysis of each type of shungite. For your convenience, we have digitized the results of these analyses and fixed them in tables. You can get acquainted with the originals of these studies on our Shungite Tolvu page.

Regular shungite chemical formula

The classic raw shungite of 3 type
The classic raw shungite of 3 type.

Table of the mass fraction of chemical elements in the composition of shungite stones from the Zazhoginskoe deposit. The determination of the mass fraction of elements in the samples was carried out using X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) ARL ADVANT’X (Thermo Scientific, Switzerland).

Element – chemical element.

m/m% – mass fraction of chemical elements in the composition of shungite stones from the Zazhoginskoe deposit.

StdErr% – error percentage

Compound – these are the oxides corresponding to the investigated elements.

To detect carbon, the so-called loss on calcination as a percentage is used. This means how much of the substance, in percentage, has left the sample in a muffle furnace at 1000 degrees Celsius. And in this case, such a substance is unique carbon. That is, this indicator shows the amount of unique shungite carbon.

Compoundm/m%StdErr%Elementm/m%StdErr%
C32,21
SiO255,900000,25000Si26,140000,12000
Al2O34,520000,10000Al2,390000,05000
Fe2O32,230000,07000Fe1,560000,05000
K2O1,770000,07000K1,470000,05000
SO31,360000,06000S0,546000,02300
MgO1,21000 0,05000Mg0,731000,03300
TiO20,315000,01600Ti0,189000,00900
CaO0,150000,00700Ca0,107000,00500
BaO0,102000,01100Ba0,091000,01000
P2O50,044600,00380P0,019500,00170
NiO0,037100,00190Ni0,029200,00150
ZnO0,033500,00170Zn0,026900,00130
V2O50,032900,00160V0,018400,00090
Cr2O30,013000,00060Cr0,008900,00040
As2O30,012200,00170As0,009200,00130
CuO0,011900,00060Cu0,009500,00050
MnO0,010900,00050Mn0,008400,00040
ZrO20,010400,00060Zr0,007700,00050
PbO0,005400,00080Pb0,005000,00070
Rb2O0,004200,00040Rb0,003800,00030
Rh2O30,002700,00090Rh0,002200,00080
SeO20,002600,00030Se0,001900,00020
Y2O30,001900,00050Y0,001500,00040
Ga2O30,001600,00020Ga0,001200,00020
CO3O40,001400,00040Co0,001000,00030
La2O30,001400,00050La0,001200,00050
Nb2O50,001400,00070Nb0,000980,00051
Sc2O30,001300,00020Sc0,000850,00015
SrO0,000860,00040Sr0,000730,00036
Table of the mass fraction of chemical elements in the composition of shungite stones of 3 type from the Zazhoginskoe deposit.


Petrovskiy shungite chemical formula

The shungite stone of 2 type
Natural raw shungite stone of 2 type

Table of the mass fraction of chemical elements in the composition of shungite stone (shungite type 2) from the Shun’ga deposit. The determination of the mass fraction of elements in the samples was carried out using X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) ARL ADVANT’X (Thermo Scientific, Switzerland).

Element – chemical element.

m/m% – mass fraction of chemical elements in the composition of shungite stone (shungite type 2) from the Shun’ga deposit.

StdErr% – error percentage

Compound – these are the oxides corresponding to the investigated elements.

To detect carbon, the so-called loss on calcination as a percentage is used. This means how much of the substance, in percentage, has left the sample in a muffle furnace at 1000 degrees Celsius. And in this case, such a substance is unique carbon. That is, this indicator shows the amount of unique shungite carbon.

Compoundm/m%StdErr%Elementm/m%StdErr%
C65,93000
SiO216,360000,18000Si7,650000,09000
Fe2O36,410000,12000Fe4,480000,09000
SO34,610000,10000S1,840000,04000
Al2O32,670000,08000Al1,420000,04000
K2O1,370000,06000K1,140000,05000
MgO1,130000,05000Mg0,680000,03200
Na2O0,556000,02800Na0,413000,02100
V2O50,235000,01200V0,131000,00700
TiO20,219000,01100Ti0,131000,00700
CaO0,142000,00700Ca0,101000,00500
BaO0,087000,01300Ba0,078000,01100
As2O30,050000,00250As0,037900,00190
MoO30,048000,00240Mo0,032000,00160
NiO0,044900,00220Ni0,035300,00180
ZnO0,029500,00150Zn0,023700,00120
P2O50,023800,00120P0,010400,00050
CuO0,017400,00090Cu0,013900,00070
Cr2O30,013800,00070Cr0,009400,00050
ZrO20,011500,00070Zr0,008500,00050
Co3O40,007000,00060Co0,005100,00050
U3O80,006400,00110U0,005400,00090
PbO0,005700,00080Pb0,005300,00080
Y2O30,005700,00050Y0,004500,00040
MnO0,003400,00030Mn0,002600,00020
Nb2O50,002300,00070Nb0,001600,00050
Rb2O0,002100,00040Rb0,001900,00040
SeO20,001500,00030Se0,001100,00020
SrO0,001300,00040Sr0,001100,00040
La2O30,001200,00040La0,001000,00030
Table of the mass fraction of chemical elements in the composition of shungite stone (shungite type 2) from the Shun’ga deposit.


Elite shungite chemical formula

shungite stone of 1 type
The shungite stone of 1 type (or elite shungite or noble shungite stone)

Table of the mass fraction of chemical elements in the composition of shungite stone of 1 type (elite shungite) from the Shun’ga deposit. The determination of the mass fraction of elements in the samples was carried out using X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) ARL ADVANT’X (Thermo Scientific, Switzerland).

Element – chemical element.

m/m% – mass fraction of chemical elements in the composition of shungite stone (elite shungite) from the Shun’ga deposit.

StdErr% – error percentage

Compound – these are the oxides corresponding to the investigated elements.

To detect carbon, the so-called loss on calcination as a percentage is used. This means how much of the substance, in percentage, has left the sample in a muffle furnace at 1000 degrees Celsius. And in this case, such a substance is unique carbon. That is, this indicator shows the amount of unique shungite carbon.

Compoundm/m%StdErr%Elementm/m%StdErr%
С98,30000
SiO20,416000,02100Si0,195000,01000
S0,199000,01000S1,199000,01000
Fe2O30,194000,01000Fe0,135000,00700
Na2O0,185000,00900Na0,138000,00700
MgO0,165000,00800Mg0,099300,00490
V2O50,115000,00600V0,064300,00320
Al2O30,095500,00470Al0,050500,00250
NiO0,073800,00370Ni0,058000,00290
BaO0,058700,00990Ba0,052600,00890
K2O0,048600,00240K0,040300,00200
CaO0,040500,00200Ca0,029000,00140
MoO30,031700,00160Mo0,021100,00110
ZnO0,018000,00090Zn0,014500,00070
P2O50,011100,00060P0,004800,00020
TeO20,009800,00410Te0,007800,00320
As2O30,008500,00130As0,006400,00090
ThO20,008100,00200Th0,007100,00180
TiO20,006100,00030Ti0,003700,00020
Nb2O50,003500,00060Nb0,002400,00040
Cr2O30,002700,00030Cr0,001800,00020
CuO0,002700,00010Cu0,002200,00010
Co3O40,002000,00010Co0,001500,00010
ZrO20,001700,00060Zr0,001300,00040
MnO0,001600,00010Mn0,001200,00010
SeO20,000710,00024Se0,000510,00017
Tb4O70,000440,00022Tb0,000370,00019
Ga2O30,000350,00013Ga0,000260,00010
Table of the mass fraction of chemical elements in the composition of shungite stone of 1 type (or elite shungite) from the Shun’ga deposit.

General information about shungite

What is Shungite stone?

Shungite is an ancient carbonaceous rock with an age of about 2 billion years. Shungite carbon is a solid residue of the oldest oil, and shungite from the zazhoginsky field is a fossilized organo-silicate (siloxane) gel.

When did this black stone become known?

The rock got its name – “Shungite” 130 years ago, but until recently it was not used, i.e. it was not a mineral. Shungit begins to actively enter the economic life only in the XXI century.

Early use of shungite

Shungite was not used in practice because of its unusual properties. An example of this is the history of using shungite as an energy fuel. Shungite did not burn in the furnaces. It did not burn, because shungite carbon has a high activity and reactivity. So high that when heated, it does not need to take oxygen from the air. Shungite stone takes oxygen from its nearest neighbors – silicate minerals, showing “antioxidant” properties in thermal processes. Unusual properties reported shungite carbon shungite rocks and unusual special (shungit) carbon structure.

The Structure Of Shungite

The shungite structure is defined as non-crystalline, metastable, non-graphitizable, globular, and fullerene-like. The main element of this structure is a globule with dimensions of 100-300 A0 (10-30 nanometers). The globule has a bulbous structure and the ability to change the order within fullerene-like layers and the distance between layers within small limits. This is reflected in the definition of “metastability of the structure” of shungite carbon. The structure of the globules themselves is stable against phase transitions of shungite carbon to other types of crystalline carbon – graphite and diamond.

How much carbon is in Shungite?

Shungite stone of the zazhoginsky Deposit consisting of 30% shungite carbon and 56 % silicates is a nanostructured natural composite. Elite shungite contatins about 98% of carbon. The nanostructure of such a rock determines its specific properties: sorption, catalytic, reducing (antioxidant), and the ability to self-regenerate.

third type of shungite stone and its composition
Composition of shungite rock

Do shungite products have “scratches”?

Due to the fact that genuine shungite stone contains minerals such as quartz and pyrite, this is reflected in the appearance of the product. Therefore, on the black surface of our natural stone products there will always be some intricate pattern of quartz and pyrite veins.

Thus, the patterns of quartz and pite on shungite are not scratches! And also they are not stone defects! This is the natural texture of this rare mineral.

quartz and pyrite in shungite
Natural mineral inclusions in black rock from Karelia

Our natural pendants are not Chinese factory stamped blanks made of black acrylic or glass, which are now abundant on the Internet market.

In each case, the pendant will have its own unique design, depending on the patterns of quartz and pyrite on them.

natural mineral patterns on pendants
Natural mineral patterns on pendants size of 5 cm/1,97 in

In addition, the surface of the pyramids can also have a bizarre pattern. Regardless of the degree of surface treatment: polished or unpolished, the pyramid will always be unique and amazing. Also, the surface of the pyramids can also have a bizarre pattern. Regardless of the degree of surface treatment: polished or unpolished, the pyramid will always be unique and amazing.

pyramids with different surface patterns
Variable surface of shungite pyramids, depending on processing and content of mineral inclusions.

Shungite as a sorbent for water treatment

  • Shungite as a sorbent is characterized by a number of positive characteristics:
  • high mechanical strength and low abrasion resistance;
  • high filtering capacity (processability, characterized by low pressure resistance);
  • the ability to Sorb many substances, both organic (petroleum products, benzene, phenol, pesticides, etc.) and mineral (iron, manganese, phosphorus, arsenic).

Shungite stone is able to clean water from petroleum products to the MPC of water discharge into fisheries reservoirs. This effect is used in shungite filters installed on the Moscow ring road and new highways.
Shungite is a dense material with low porosity, the inner surface is significantly inferior to activated carbon.

shungite properties in water

How effective is shungite stone as a sorbent, and how long can it work?

According to the work performed at VIMS and the University of Chemical technology. Mendeleev shungite sorbent loses to activated carbon at the first stage, during the first 250 hours, and then begins to purify the solution at a higher and constant rate. This is due to the catalytic properties of shungite, the ability to catalytically oxidize sorbed organic substances.

Shungite stone as a strong reducing agent

Shungite stone as a strong reducing agent absorbs oxygen from water. In the process of chemical interaction with this oxygen, atomic oxygen is formed, which is the strongest oxidizer and oxidizes the sorbed organic substances to CO2 and H2O and frees the shungite surface for new sorption acts.
The long-term effect of shungite on dissolved metals is explained by the fact that metals are converted by shungite into the form of insoluble carbonates. This is facilitated by the process of oxidation of organic substances to CO2.
The ability of shungite to absorb oxygen and actively interact with it at room temperatures in water and air has numerous practical confirmations.

Russian health resort “Marcial waters”

Marcial waters resort
Marcial waters resort in Karelia, Russia.
 sources of healing water in the Marcial waters resort
One of the sources of healing water in the Marcial waters resort, passing through shungite layers.

There is no oxygen in the water of the sanatorium “Marcial waters” (Republic of Karelia) coming out of the shungite strata. Due to this, the iron present in water in high concentrations is in a divalent soluble form. When exposed to the surface and in contact with air, iron is oxidized and precipitates in the form of ochre.
This phenomenon is completely simulated under artificial conditions. In a vessel with shungite and water, iron is released on the vessel wall only above the shungite stone layer. Iron does not fall directly from the water of the shungite backfill layer. It is obvious that shungite absorbs dissolved oxygen and is more active than iron.
I. O. Krylov and A.V. Krylova provide information about the decomposition of sorbed petroleum products on the surface of shungite at room temperature. The concentration of petroleum products on shungite after storage for 4 months decreased by 77.0-99.7%, depending on the initial concentration. “Self-regeneration” of shungites, apparently, was a consequence of the catalytic oxidation of petroleum products.

Anti-oxidant abilities of this black stone

High reducing, antioxidant properties of shungite stone are shown not only in relation to oxygen. Studies of the antioxidant properties of shungite in relation to organochlorine compounds and free radicals performed at Moscow University and the Military Medical Academy showed that shungite removes free radicals from water 30 times better than activated carbon and almost completely. This is an extremely important circumstance because free radicals formed during the treatment of water with chlorine have an extremely negative effect on the human body and are the cause of many serious diseases (cardiovascular, oncological, as well as diabetes, aging pathologies, atherosclerosis). Regular consumption of free-radical particles with drinking water depletes the body’s biochemical mechanisms and contributes to the development of various pathologies. One of the ways to solve the problem of antioxidant protection of the population is to search for natural antioxidants and shungite stone is an effective natural antioxidant.

Spectrum of health properties of shungite stone

First, shungite water has long been used to treat skin diseases. On the territory of the Zaonezhsky Peninsula in lake Onega there is a spring “Three Ivans”, which the local population revered as a Saint and went to be treated from other regions, despite its inaccessibility.
Artificial infusions on shungite also treat skin diseases. At the Tula research Institute “New medical technologies”, research has shown that shungite preparations accelerate cell renewal and epitalization, enrich cells with essential nutrients, stimulate blood circulation and skin cell regeneration, and relieve irritation. Shungite preparations have a bactericidal effect, relieve itching, and have an analgesic effect.

Shungite in animal husbandry

When using shungite preparations in the feed of piglets, the effect of complete recovery from diarrhea was noted. The use of shungite in the feed foxes according to the Institute of biology, Karelian research centre of RAS increased the mass of foxes, improved the quality of fur, promoted conservation pups per litter and increased livestock.

The introduction of shungite in the diet of broiler chickens revealed its ability to compensate for the negative impact of low – quality, mycotoxin-infected feed on poultry growth.
Shungite is recommended by VNIITI poultry farms in the country as a mineral Supplement for the prevention of chronic mycotoxicosis and stimulation of poultry growth.

Black stone in medicine

The noted properties of shungite open up the possibility of using it in medicine (in particular, in dermatology, dentistry, gynecology), in veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, and poultry farming.

Shungite stone conducts an electric current

Shungite of the zazhoginsky Deposit is an electrically conductive stone. This property of shungite was the basis for creating on its basis a wide class of electrically conductive building materials with radio-shielding and radio-absorbing properties.
Shungite radio shielding materials have been thoroughly tested at industrial facilities to protect electronic information and have proven to be reliable, durable, environmentally friendly and safer than metal screens.

Protection from EMF

shungite emf protection
Shungite emf protection properties

The topic of protection from electromagnetic smog is becoming more and more relevant. This leads to the introduction of electronic household appliances and communications equipment into everyday life and economic practice, as well as an understanding of the harmful effects of solar storms and geopathogenic zones on health.

Shungites capable of interacting with electromagnetic fields of various nature provide protection from the harmful effects of these radiations. Rooms shielded with shungite materials reduce the level of human exposure to artificial and natural sources hundreds of times and create conditions for a comfortable stay in them and restore health.

For example, in the wards of the Military Medical Academy (Saint Petersburg), shielded with shungite, patients recover much faster.

Scientific research in the field of EMF protection

The Tula research Institute” New medical technologies ” shows that the presence of shungite materials near the source of cellular frequency radiation significantly weakens their effect on the body.
In recent years, a number of new materials based on shungite have been developed for protection against electromagnetic radiation in premises and for individual human protection (Belarus).

Useful potential of Shungite stone

The ecological potential of shungite is very wide. It is implemented in the processes of water and air purification, protecting people from electromagnetic radiation of various nature, improving the immune characteristics of humans and animals, and in therapeutic properties in relation to a wide range of diseases.

In specific practical terms it is used in filters for drinking water preparation and wastewater treatment, in the creation of radioprotective materials and devices, medical rehabilitation centers of sagitarii, in agriculture, veterinary science, and to improve the quality of feed, production of pure natural “no chemical fertilizers”.