Publication: Process of upgrading coarse silica sand process of upgrading coarse silica sand
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Date
2025-08-08
Authors
Siti Fatimah binti Rahim
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Abstract
Silica sand is widely used in industries like glassmaking, but coarse sand often has impurities that lower its quality. This study aimed to characterise the properties of coarse silica sand from Terengganu Silica Consortium Sdn. Bhd and to improve its purity using simple physical methods. This research first examined the sand using lab tests to identify its composition and impurities. Then a few different techniques were run such as grinding to make particles smaller, washing to remove dirt, using magnets to take out iron, and heating to burn off organic materials. The results showed the raw sand was 97.3% pure silica. After processing, the purity increased to 99.6%, which is good enough for making glass. The best methods were grinding for 20 minutes and washing for 30 minutes. In conclusion, these physical methods successfully improved the sand quality without using chemicals. This makes the process cheaper and more environmentally friendly. The findings can help companies better use low-quality sand resources. Future studies coul