Silica Sand

Silicon and oxygen are the earth's two most abundant elements and together they make silica,

one of the earth's three most common rock forming minerals.

Silica occurs in three main crystalline forms. The principal occurrence is as the mineral quartz

but it also occurs in other rarer mineral forms known as tridymite and cristobalite. It is a very

durable mineral resistant to heat and chemical attack and it is these properties that have made it

industrially interesting to man.

The first industrial uses of crystalline silica were probably related to metallurgical and glass

making activities a few thousand years BC. It has continued to support human development

throughout history, being a key raw material in the industrial revolution especially in the glass,

foundry and ceramics industries. Silica contributes to today's information technology revolution

being used in the plastics of computer mouses and providing the raw material for silicon chips.

For industrial use, pure deposits of silica sand capable of yielding products of at least 95% silica

are required. Often much higher purity values are needed.

Uses of Silica Sand

The main end uses of silica sand are:

Glass

Silica is the major ingredient in virtually all types of glass. The principal glass products include

containers (bottles and jars), flat glass (windows, mirrors, vehicle glazing etc.), lighting glass

(light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, etc.), tableware (lead crystal, drinking glasses etc.), TV tubes and

screens, decorative glass, fibreglass, optical glass and vacuum flasks.

Foundry casting

Silica has a high melting point, 1610 degrees C. This enables castings to be produced by pouring

molten metal into moulds made out of silica sand.

Ceramics

Silica that has been ground to fine size is an ingredient of most clay bodies and is a major

constituent of ceramic glazes. Typical everyday products include tableware, sanitary ware,

ornaments and wall and floor tiles.

Filtration

Closely sized grades of silica sand is the principal filtration medium used by the water industry

to extract solids from wastewater.

Specialist building applications

The construction industry is founded on silica and there are a host of specialist applications

including silica and aerated concrete blocks, floor and roof tiles, flooring and rendering

compounds, white line markings, roofing felt and cement and resin injection systems.

Sports and leisure

Silica sand is used for equestrian surfaces, in artificial turf, golf course root zones and dressings,

football and cricket and other pitches and as play sands.

Other users

Silica has many other applications including the manufacture of chemicals and metals, fillers in

numerous products, plastic and otherwise, the manufacture of refractories, stimulating oil

production and as additives in agricultural and horticultural products. It is difficult to imagine a

life without silica!

Production of silica sand

High grade silica sand is usually found as unconsolidated deposits below thin layers of soil and

overburden. After quarrying, the sand often undergoes considerable processing before sale. The

processing may include washing and cleaning of the grains, sizing to remove coarse and very

fine fractions, and physical and chemical processes to remove iron, chromium and other

deleterious minerals. After processing, the sand may be dried and some applications require it to

be ground in ball mills to produce very fine material

Silica Sand

Silicon and oxygen are the earth's two most abundant elements and together they make silica,

one of the earth's three most common rock forming minerals.

Silica occurs in three main crystalline forms. The principal occurrence is as the mineral quartz

but it also occurs in other rarer mineral forms known as tridymite and cristobalite. It is a very

durable mineral resistant to heat and chemical attack and it is these properties that have made it

industrially interesting to man.

The first industrial uses of crystalline silica were probably related to metallurgical and glass

making activities a few thousand years BC. It has continued to support human development

throughout history, being a key raw material in the industrial revolution especially in the glass,

foundry and ceramics industries. Silica contributes to today's information technology revolution

being used in the plastics of computer mouses and providing the raw material for silicon chips.

For industrial use, pure deposits of silica sand capable of yielding products of at least 95% silica

are required. Often much higher purity values are needed.

Uses of Silica Sand

The main end uses of silica sand are:

Glass

Silica is the major ingredient in virtually all types of glass. The principal glass products include

containers (bottles and jars), flat glass (windows, mirrors, vehicle glazing etc.), lighting glass

(light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, etc.), tableware (lead crystal, drinking glasses etc.), TV tubes and

screens, decorative glass, fibreglass, optical glass and vacuum flasks.

Foundry casting

Silica has a high melting point, 1610 degrees C. This enables castings to be produced by pouring

molten metal into moulds made out of silica sand.

Ceramics

Silica that has been ground to fine size is an ingredient of most clay bodies and is a major

constituent of ceramic glazes. Typical everyday products include tableware, sanitary ware,

ornaments and wall and floor tiles.

Filtration

Closely sized grades of silica sand is the principal filtration medium used by the water industry

to extract solids from wastewater.

Specialist building applications

The construction industry is founded on silica and there are a host of specialist applications

including silica and aerated concrete blocks, floor and roof tiles, flooring and rendering

compounds, white line markings, roofing felt and cement and resin injection systems.

Sports and leisure

Silica sand is used for equestrian surfaces, in artificial turf, golf course root zones and dressings,

football and cricket and other pitches and as play sands.

Other users

Silica has many other applications including the manufacture of chemicals and metals, fillers in

numerous products, plastic and otherwise, the manufacture of refractories, stimulating oil

production and as additives in agricultural and horticultural products. It is difficult to imagine a

life without silica!

Production of silica sand

High grade silica sand is usually found as unconsolidated deposits below thin layers of soil and

overburden. After quarrying, the sand often undergoes considerable processing before sale. The

processing may include washing and cleaning of the grains, sizing to remove coarse and very

fine fractions, and physical and chemical processes to remove iron, chromium and other

deleterious minerals. After processing, the sand may be dried and some applications require it to

be ground in ball mills to produce very fine material