Quartz Beneficiation
1. Overview
Quartz sand is also called silica sand (the SiO₂ content of quartz sand is over 98.5%, while that of silica sand is below 98.5%). Through mineral processing and purification, it can be made into high-purity quartz sand.
Common quartz sand beneficiation plants include processes such as washing, gravity separation and magnetic separation. These processes are used to remove small or trace impurities in quartz, so as to obtain refined quartz sand or high-purity quartz.
2. Quartz Beneficiation Process
Silica resources have many types and large reserves. Quartzite, quartz sandstone and vein quartz are the main raw materials for producing high-purity sand. The purpose of quartz sand beneficiation is to extract useful minerals from quartz sand and remove impurities, so as to meet the requirements of different industrial applications.
2.1 Main Beneficiation Methods
Quartz gravity separation: Suitable for separating quartz ore associated with iron-bearing heavy minerals.
Quartz magnetic separation: Suitable for separating quartz ore associated with impurities such as hematite, limonite and biotite.
Quartz flotation separation: Suitable for separating quartz ore associated with feldspar ore.
Quartz electric separation: This method is more commonly used in beneficiating fine-grained quartz sand.
Combined quartz beneficiation processes: Usually used in practical applications to achieve the best separation effect.
2.2 Process Selection by Purity Requirement
For refined quartz sand used in general industrial applications: Choose simple process flow as much as possible to reduce purification costs. It is recommended to use the "scrubbing-desliming-magnetic separation" process.
For high-purity and ultra-high-purity quartz used in high-tech fields: Further purification is required through combined processes such as flotation and acid leaching.
In practical applications, quartz mineral processing usually includes a combination of processes such as crushing, grinding, washing, gravity separation, magnetic separation or electrostatic separation. Contact us online to obtain the equipment configuration and latest quotation for quartz processing plants!
3. 50TPH Quartzite Beneficiation Plant
Washing-classifying-desilting: In the quartz sand beneficiation process, fine-grained materials with particle size less than 0.1 mm are usually called slime. For quartz sand containing a large amount of clay and ore mud, as the particle size becomes finer, the silica grade gradually decreases, while impurities such as iron and aluminum increase instead. The water-based "washing-classifying-desilting" method can effectively improve the quartz grade.
Scrubbing: The "washing-classifying-desilting" method has poor effect on the film iron and adherent impurities on the surface of quartz sand. Therefore, mechanical force and the abrasive force between sand particles are needed to remove the film iron and adherent impurities on the sand surface. Better impurity removal effect can be achieved after grading and desilting.
Gravity separation: It screens minerals according to their different specific gravities. Due to the difference in density, mineral particles are affected by fluid force and mechanical force in the medium, resulting in loose stratification, so that ore particles are separated.
Magnetic separation: It separates magnetic impurity minerals and particles from quartz sand. Using a high-intensity magnetic separator to separate impurity iron in quartz is a key link. Magnetic separation can remove mechanical iron minerals (such as hematite, limonite, pyrite, ilmenite and biotite) mixed in quartz sand, as well as weak magnetic minerals and inclusions, and disseminated impurities containing iron minerals.
Flotation: The flotation machine separates mineral particles based on the different physical and chemical properties of mineral particle surfaces. Its main function is to remove associated minerals such as mica and feldspar from quartz sand.
Dewatering: The material is dehydrated and dried to obtain the required products. The actual configuration should be adjusted according to production needs.
The physical beneficiation method can only remove impurities in the mineral structure, and rarely removes impurities on the surface of quartz sand. The purer the quartz sand, the higher its use value. Therefore, it is necessary to further purify the quartz sand after flotation. Contact us to get details of quartz processing plants and factory prices of equipment!