MINING DEP.

Silica Sand
Prof. Salah El-Mofty
By: Mourad Hosni
4/20/2010

Mourad.Hosni@hotmail.com
Mourad.Hosni@hotmail.com

Contents
Formation of Silica Sand

Particle Sizes

Types of Silica Sand

Chemical Analysis

Physical and Thermal Properties

Industrial Uses

Silica Sand Occurrences

Processing Diagram

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Formation of silica sand:

Most silica sand is made up of broken down quartz crystals. Silica is
another name for silicon dioxide, SiO2, of which quartz is a specific latticed
structure. So silica sand is quartz that over the years, through the work of
water and wind, has been broken down into tiny granules. These granules
can be used for many different purposes, and can be found in most non-
tropical regions of the world.

Particle Size:
Sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625mm to 2 millimeters.

Very fine sand (1⁄16 - 1⁄8 mm diameter)

Fine sand (1⁄8 mm - 1⁄4 mm)

Medium sand (1⁄4 mm - 1⁄2 mm)

Coarse sand (1⁄2 mm - 1 mm)

Very coarse sand (1 mm - 2 mm)

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Types of silica sand:

 Round grain silica sand
 Lake and bank silica sand

Round grain silica sand Lake and bank silica sand

Higher refractoriness
Contains 99% or higher silica with
other mineral amounts.
Lower tendency for casting defects
Lower refractoriness
Contains 94% silica with the balance
containing iron oxide, lime,
magnesia, and alumina.
Lower tendency for casting defects

Chemical Analysis: (round Grain)

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) 99.615

Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) .018
Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) .150
Calcium Oxide (CaO) .009
Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) .015
Magnesium Oxide (MgO) .008
Potassium Oxide (K2O) .095
Sodium Oxide (Na2O) .005
Loss on ignition (LOI) .085

Physical and Thermal Properties:

Cleavage None
Hardness (moh’s scale) 7
Color Pale- pink to rose red
Specific Gravity 2.65
Fusion point > 1690o C

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Industrial Uses:
 Water filtration
 Glass manufacture
 Industrial casting
 Sand blasting
 Producing concrete

Adding texture to slick roads

Many industrial suppliers carry silica sand in bulk quantities, while some
smaller household stores sell it in smaller amounts for home or home
construction use. One of the major uses of silica sand in the modern world
is as an ingredient in industrial concrete. Silica sand produces the bulk of a
great deal of concrete, although some concrete bypasses its use for safety
and strength reasons. At industrial scales, silica sand can cost less than
$0.50 US Dollars (USD) per pound, while the consumer rate is around $1.50
USD per pound.

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Silica Sand Occurrences

1- United states:

 Eastern US: Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arkansas,

Oklahoma, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Southern New
Jersey, Ohio, Alabama, and Maryland.

 Western US: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington,

Montana, and San Francisco.

 Middle US: Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, Ottawa, and Los

Angeles.

2- Canada:

 Eastern Canada: Ontario, and Quebec.

 Western Canada: Manitoba, Beausejour, and Pine River

District.

3- Mexico

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Processing Diagram:
A processing diagram for low quality silica sand