Purification Mechanism of Quartz Sand by Combination of Microwave Heating and Ultrasound Assisted Acid Leaching Treatment

Abstract

Iron is a major impurity in quartz sand and must be strictly removed in many applications. However, the iron removal rate in most of the conventional purification process is not high enough. In this study, a fast, low-energy consuming, environment-friendly and simple process for purifying quartz is demonstrated by a combination of microwave heating and ultrasound-assisted acid leaching treatment. Using the characteristics of selective heating of microwave, the micro-inclusions burst and generate cracks in the surrounding quartz matrix far below the α/β phase transition temperature, which enables removal of the impurities in the subsequent processing steps and reduces iron diffusion into the quartz matrix. Microwave process sequence, time, and temperature are all important factors, and appropriate parameters need to be explored. Ultrasound can assist acid leaching removal of Fe impurities through the cracks. Under optimized conditions, the iron content can be reduced to below 0.167 ppmw with one single purification pass.