Production of High-Purity Silica Sand from Ivorian Sedimentary Basin by Attrition without Acid Leaching Process for Windows Glass Making

Péyokoh Roger Thio,Kouassi Bruno Koffi,Kouadio Denis Konan,Kouakou Alphonse Yao

doi:10.4236/jmmce.2021.94024

Péyokoh Roger Thio, Kouassi Bruno Koffi + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4236/jmmce.2021.94024

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Abstract

To produce high-purity silica sand usable for glass making, the present study was carried out. The objective of this work was to increase the silicon dioxide (SiO2) content to at least 99% using a simple process without chemical input. The raw sand samples were taken from the Ivorian sedimentary basin, from Maféré and Assinie areas, Côte d’Ivoire. Wet sieving and attrition technique were used for the purification process. The results from the energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analyses of the raw and treated samples show a significant increase of silica content and a significant reduction of impurities. The silica content (SiO2) of the sand of Maféré increases from 98.73% ± 0.15% to 99.92% ± 0.05%. And the sand of Assinie increased from 98.82% ± 0.67% in the raw samples to 99.44% ± 0.27% after treatment. The rate of iron oxide and alumina is reduced in these sands. Moreover, the sand of Maféré contains 53.2% of grains of size lower than 500 microns and that of Assinie contains 29.30%. Regarding the chemical composition of these purified sands, they meet the standard BS2975s, the American Ceramic Society and the National Bureau of Standards for window glass making.

Highlights

Window glass making requires the use of very pure silica sand without impurities [1]
The raw sand samples were taken from the Ivorian sedimentary basin, from Maféré and Assinie areas, Côte d’Ivoire
The BS2975 (British Standards International) specification published in 2008 specifies the silicon oxide content and the limits of iron, chromium, and titanium oxides in good quality silica sands

Summary

Introduction

Window glass making requires the use of very pure silica sand without impurities [1]. Other domains such as photovoltaic cell production, silicon metal wafers, and optical glass are dependent on good quality silica [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. The BS2975 (British Standards International) specification published in 2008 specifies the silicon oxide (silica) content and the limits of iron, chromium, and titanium oxides in good quality silica sands. Grade C sand, suitable for the manufacture of color less containers etc., should have a maximum Fe2O3 content of 0.030% and not more than 6 ppm Cr2O3.

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