Abstract
Silica sand is one of the most common varieties of sand, and it is used in industrial applications throughout the world. The application depends on the purity, grain size and chemical characteristics. In the present study, X-ray, chemical and petrographic analyses were used to study sand deposits from Tabuk area in Saudi Arabia. The collected samples from the site are composed of 98% quartz (SiO2 ), with very minor traces of carbonate and dark minerals which account for the rest of the sample constituents. The examined individual quartz grains have excellent purity, and about 98% of the grains were white transparent pure silica. The grains are mainly rounded to sub-angular. The chemical analysis indicated that the percentages of major oxides of Si, Al, Cr, Fe, and Ti were 97%, 1.5%, % <0.006%; 0.035%, and 0.0531% respectively. The grains sizes are fine and their sizes concentrated mostly around the 0.155 mm. Due to its high quality, the inspected deposit meets the industrial standards.
Highlights
High-grade silica sand is an essential raw material in many industries and is used in the manufacture of container glass, glass fiber, chemical products, and silicon metal; as filler for rubber, plastics, and ceramics; and in the construction business (SGS, 2009) [1]
95% of the individual grains tend to be more equi-dimensional indicating that the grains have traveled long distances and have undergone significant abrasion
The color of the tested samples was constant as being white clear sand
Summary
High-grade silica sand is an essential raw material in many industries and is used in the manufacture of container glass, glass fiber, chemical products, and silicon metal; as filler for rubber, plastics, and ceramics; and in the construction business (SGS, 2009) [1]. The present report evaluated, for industrial purposes, silica sand deposit in a location close to Bin Hirmaz well area, Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. To consider this silica deposits as an industrial mineral, it should give products of at least 95% SiO2. The collected samples were subjected to different mineralogical and textural analyses as will be given in the methodology section
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