Silica Sand Resources - fnrc.gov.aefnrc.gov.ae/forum/present/2015/62.pdf · Arabia during last 40...
Transcript of Silica Sand Resources - fnrc.gov.aefnrc.gov.ae/forum/present/2015/62.pdf · Arabia during last 40...
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Silica Sand Resources In
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Eng. Geologist. Rafat A. GhandouraAssist. Head of Industrial Minerals Dept.
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Saudi Arabia has numerous industrial minerals commodities. One
of the most important commodities are silica sand and quartz.
Abundant resources of silica sand have been explored in Saudi
Arabia during last 40 years.
Most high grade silica sand deposits occurs in form of sandstone
formations that bounds the Arabian Shield to the north and east.
Sandstone's deposits are in general friable, loosely to moderately
cemented and require pulverization to yield silica sand.
Majority of silica sand resources are white to off-white, it is
moderately sorted sand with low-iron and other contaminants.
Silica sands have a large number of industrial uses depending ontheir characteristics. Numerous minor uses are based on either thechemical purity or physical properties of this and (such as grain-size distribution or grain shape).
Introduction
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Silica (SiO2) Origin
There are different silica (SiO2) resources forms:
Hydrothermal Quartz: quartz veins and pegmatite's.
Silica Sand.
Sandstone.
quartzite rocks.
Chalcedony.
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Saudi Arabia has numerous industrial minerals commodities. One
of the most important commodities are silica sand and quartz.
Abundant resources of silica sand have been explored in Saudi
Arabia during last 40 years.
Most high grade silica sand deposits occurs in form of sandstone
formations that bounds the Arabian Shield to the north and east.
Sandstone's deposits are in general friable, loosely to moderately
cemented and require pulverization to yield silica sand.
Majority of silica sand resources are white to off-white, it is
moderately sorted sand with low-iron and other contaminants.
Silica sands have a large number of industrial uses depending ontheir characteristics. Numerous minor uses are based on either thechemical purity or physical properties of this and (such as grain-size distribution or grain shape).
Introduction
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The abundant existence ofsilica sand in the KSA iswithin the geologicalsequences of the Paleozoic,Mesozoic, and Cenozoicsuccessions the bound theArabian Shield to the north,east and south and appearsporadically in relict Tertiarydeposits on the Red Seacoastal plain.
Geology
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Tabuk
97.5 - 99.0 %Si O2
0.04 - 0.05 %Fe2 O3
1.27 %Al2 O3
100 M m3Reserve
Dommat aljandal
96.3 - 99.8 %Si O2
0.21 %Fe2 O3
1.06 %Al2 O3
150 M m3Reserve
Tayma
94 - 99.8 %Si O2
0.05-0.06 %Fe2 O3
1.2 %Al2 O3
840 M m3Reserve
Hail
96 - 97 %Si O2
0.04-0.06 %Fe2 O3
1.25 %Al2 O3
LargeReserve
Qasim
94.5 – 99.8 %Si O2
0.06-1.2 %Fe2 O3
1.1 %Al2 O3
Very LargeReserve
Riyadh
97.5 – 99.4 %Si O2
0.12-0.18 %Fe2 O3
1.0 %Al2 O3
300 M m3Reserve
Al Jubayl
92 – 96.3 %SiO2
0.04-0.43 %Fe2O3
2.3 %Al2O3
16 M. m3Reserve
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Rabia & Nassar
Delmon
National Factory
Adwan Chemicals
Aldrees
Ad-Doghom Mining
Mahmoud saeed
Al-nazal
Al-Zahid Mining
Almarbaie
Muadinoon
Zahrat al-Riyad
Tuwaig
Al-Raddadi
Silica Sand Producers in
Designated Silica Complexes in
Saudi Arabia
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Presently, there are three silica
sand complexes developed in
Saudi Arabia that have a number
of silica sand quarries. These
three areas are:
1) Ad-Doghm (near Riyadh)
2) Tayma South (south of Tabuk)
3) Dawmat al-jandal ( south of al-
jouf )
Silica Sand Mining in Saudi Arabia
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Production of Silica SandThe silica sand production has significant increased between
2003-2007, whereas, there is a slight decrease in 2008-2009,
and the percentage of production has raised again.Weight
production
of silica
sand
(tonnes)
Year
364,0002003
594,0002004
518,0002005
781,0002006
820,0002007
799,0002008
709,0002009
820,0002010
1,300,0002011
1,270,0002012
1,276,4662013(e)
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
364
594
518
781
820
799
709 8
20
1300
1270
1276
Th
ou
sa
nd
to
nn
es
Years
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Silica Sand Import
Weight (tonnes)Year
NA2003
NA2004
21,2042005
28,6342006
41,8752007
73,7102008
45,0222009
46,4372010
42,9252011
79.1162012
49,7232013
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0 0 2
1
29
42
74
45
46
43
79
50
Th
ou
sand
to
nn
es
Years
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Silica Sand Export
Weight (tonnes)Year
372,6742003
115,3902004
88,7572005
287,6162006
349,9082007
392,0002008
461,8782009
435,2562010
583,7752011
558,0162012
641,1282013
0
200
400
600
800
373
115 89
288350 392
461 435
584 558641
Th
ou
sand
to
nn
es
Years
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COUNTRYPRODUCTION (THOUSAND TONNES)
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013E
USA 27,900 27,300 29,700 30,600 30,000 30,400 25,000 29,900 43,700 50,700 52,500
Germany 8,500 8,500 7,500 8,160 7,700 8,190 6,450 7,000 7,770 7,500 7,400
Australia 4,500 4,500 4,500 4,500 5,600 5,600 5,600 3,760 3,760 3,760 3,800
Italy 4,500 4,500 4,500 4,000 5,300 5,300 5,200 5,300 5,600 5,300 5,600
UK 3,000 3,000 3,000 3,000 14,000 13,800 13,800 19,800 19,800 16,400 16,400
TOTAL 72,688 71,400 75,100 76,410 62,600 63,290 56,050 65,760 80630 83,660 85,700
OTHER
COUNTRIES22,412 23,600 39,900 41,590 63,400 57,710 49,950 55,240 57,370 55,340 55,300
WORLD TOTAL
PRODUCTION95,100 95,000
115,00
0118,000 126,000
121,00
0106,000 121,000 138,000 139,000 141,000
World production of silica sand
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Saudi Quartz OccurrencesQuartz occurrences are situated in within the Arabian Shield.Most quartz occurrences in Saudi Arabia are found as:quartz veins :Most quartz veins are isolated with dimensions not
exceeding to 80m X 100m X 100m.
quartz cupolas :appears to be dome shaped quartz bodies – cupola.
pegmatites (granitic composition):Conventionally, zoned pegmatite bodies have been mined
for feldspar as the feldspar occurs in the marginal zone of
such bodies.
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CONCLUSIONSilica sand resources are abundant and many of them are
intensively explored and analyzed.
Most silica sand is high quality, white, low iron and suitable
particle size for a number of industrial applications.
Most silica sand resources can be upgraded with suitable
processing, therefore, effective and optimum processing is
needed for almost all silica sand resources.
Processing of silica sand enhance the whiteness and purity
of sand – decreases iron and alumina and increases silica
contents.
Processing is important to bring silica sand to the required
technical specifications of industrial products.