Studies on the processing of natural quartz from raw material sources with different amounts of fluid inclusions

Abstract

This article presents the results of experimental processing of quartz obtained from sources of different genetic types that may potentially be used to generate high-purity quartz raw materials. A combined process was used that included: dry processing of quartz using visual sorting, crushing, screening, and magnetic separation, followed by quartz concentrate processing by flotation, wet magnetic separation, chemical milling, high-temperature calcination, and washing with deionized water. Quartz processing was monitored using inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES) and quantitative mineralogical analyzes. The amount of fluid inclusions in the quartz was established by the light transmission coefficient in the visible region of the spectrum. The processing technology used allowed achieving a total content of impurity elements (Na, K, Li, Al, Ca, Fe, Ti, B, and P) in the quartz concentrates of 8–22 ppm. The processing did not change the amount of fluid inclusions in the quartz. The processing experiments conducted for quartz from 21 quartz deposits of different genetic types have demonstrated that the quartz concentrates obtained from six granulated quartz sources were suitable in terms of their grade characteristics for direct melting of transparent quartz glass. Additional process solutions are required for the remaining sources, aimed at reducing the amount of fluid and non-structural impurities in the quartz product. Three sources were rejected.The study was carried out under state assignment No. 122062100023-5, with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation and the Chelyabinsk Region within the framework of scientific project No. 22-27-20077.