The Key Process of Quartz Sand Purification

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Quartz sand is a common non-metallic mineral resource, which is widely used in many fields such as glass manufacturing, casting, building materials, ceramics, electronics and so on. However, quartz sand usually contains various impurities in its natural state, which directly affects its application effect and market value. Therefore, the research and application of quartz sand purification process has become the key to improve the quality of quartz sand and expand its scope of use.

1.1 Improve the purity, broaden the field of application

Impurities in natural quartz sand, such as iron, aluminum, titanium and other metal oxides, often affect the application of quartz sand in the field of high-precision technology. Taking glass manufacturing as an example, the production of high-purity glass materials requires extremely high purity of quartz sand. If quartz sand contains high iron content, the transparency and gloss of glass products will be greatly reduced. Through the purification process, these impurities can be effectively removed, so that the quartz sand reaches the high purity standard, to meet the strict requirements of different industries on quartz sand.

1.2 Enhance the added value of products

The purification of quartz sand can not only improve its purity, but also greatly increase its market value. For quartz sand manufacturers, the optimization of the purification process will directly affect its economic efficiency and market competitiveness.

In order to improve the purity of quartz sand, there are a variety of common purification processes, which are suitable for different impurities and application requirements.

2.1 Mechanical screening and crushing

Mechanical screening is one of the basic steps in the purification of quartz sand, through the physical way to separate the larger particles and smaller particles, so as to reduce the large particles of impurities in quartz sand. The crushing process can break the large quartz ore into particles suitable for screening, so as to lay a good foundation for the subsequent purification process.

2.2 Flotation

Flotation is a method of separating impurities by utilizing the differences in chemical properties of mineral surfaces. Usually, iron, mica and other impurities in quartz sand have different surface physicochemical properties from quartz, and by adding chemicals and stirring in the water, these impurity particles can be attached to the air bubbles, and eventually separated from the quartz sand. Flotation method is widely used in the removal of mica, feldspar and other mineral impurities in quartz sand.

2.3 Acid leaching method

Acid leaching is one of the most commonly used chemical purification methods in quartz sand purification, mainly used to remove metal oxide impurities in quartz sand. Commonly used acid leaching solution has hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, etc., through the reaction with the impurities of iron, aluminum and other elements, which will be converted into soluble compounds, and then removed by washing. The purification effect of acid leaching is remarkable, especially suitable for the purification of quartz sand with high iron content, but the method is costly and has a certain impact on the environment.

2.4 magnetic separation

Magnetic separation is an effective separation method for quartz sand containing iron, titanium and other magnetic mineral impurities. By placing the quartz sand in the magnetic field, the magnetic mineral impurities are adsorbed and removed under the magnetic force, thus improving the purity of quartz sand. Magnetic separation method has the advantages of simple operation and low cost, and is suitable for use in large-scale production.

2.5 Microbiological method

Microbial purification method is a new type of environmentally friendly purification method developed in recent years, through specific microorganisms to decompose or adsorb the impurity elements in quartz sand, to achieve the purpose of purification. This method has the advantages of low energy consumption and environmental friendliness, but because the process is still in the experimental stage, it has not been applied on a large scale.

With the increase in demand for quartz sand and the expansion of application areas, the optimization and innovation of purification technology is particularly important. At present, the optimization direction of quartz sand purification process is mainly focused on the following aspects:

3.1 Environmentally friendly purification process

Traditional purification processes such as acid leaching and flotation produce a certain amount of wastewater and waste residue, which affect the environment. Therefore, the future purification process will be more towards environmentally friendly processes, such as the use of biotechnology, physical purification technology to reduce environmental pollution. In this process, the research and development of non-polluting, low-energy, high-efficiency purification technology is the key.

3.2 Improve resource utilization

The optimization of quartz sand purification process is also reflected in the comprehensive utilization of resources. How to reduce the loss of quartz sand in the purification process, maximize the recycling of mineral resources, is an important direction of the development of purification technology. For example, for the purification of quartz sand containing iron minerals, through the composite purification process, magnetic separation and acid leaching, flotation and other processes combined to further improve the purification effect.

3.3 automation and intelligent purification process

With the improvement of the level of industrial automation, quartz sand purification process is also gradually to the intelligent, automated direction. Through the introduction of automated equipment and intelligent control systems, it can realize the precise control of the purification process, improve production efficiency, and reduce the error and cost of manual operation. This can not only improve product quality, but also significantly reduce production costs, bringing higher profit margins for enterprises.

Quartz sand purification is a key step to improve the quality and added value of quartz sand, which is crucial to meet the high-end market demand and promote the development of related industries. Through continuous optimization of the purification process, improve production efficiency and environmental protection level, quartz sand purification industry will usher in a broader development prospects.