Mineral Processing of Silica Sand in Hanout Area/South of Jordan

Abstract

White sandstone samples from Hanout area of Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician sandstone in south of Jordan were studied and assessed as a source of glass sand. Upgrading the sand included removing or reducing the content of the contaminant oxides and the heavy minerals. The aim of this research was to achieve this upgrading by examining the best-suited and cost-effective processing method(s) with sufficient product recovery. Following the initial sample characterisation at “bench scale”, a pilot study was performed. A high-grade Glass Sand product of 500 - 125 μm size fraction was produced by wet screening, attrition scrubbing and the separation of heavy minerals using spirals. The high quality Glass Sand product compared well with Grade-A of the British Standard for glass sand. Due to the relatively low level of impurities in the raw material, a substantial silica sand recovery was produced with a high silica grade. The silica sand product was capable to be used in the high quality glass industry and in many other applications where pure silica is required. The mass flowrate of the feeds and the products in the spiral was calculated for the bulk sample as well as the amount of water required operating the process.