MONQAR EL SANAB-MONQAR EL RAML SILICA SAND, QARAT SOMARAH REGION, EGYPT: ECONOMIC POTENTIAL AND SOME FORM OF PROCESSING TECHNIQUES

Abstract

Monqar El-Sanab Monqar El-Raml area is located 50 km SSW El-Hammam city, Northern Western Desert between latitudes 30°26'30" and 30°20'00"N. and longitudes 29°09"00" and 29°22"30" E. The composite stratigraphic succession of the Early Miocene Moghra Formation includes exposed very compact and consolidated ferruginous sandstones, calcareous silica sand and silica sand beds 19.5m thick and greyish black clay and shale bed 1.5m thick at its top. Silica sand is essential raw materials for glassmaking, industrial, horticultural, leisure and foundry casting applications. The study aims at undertaking investigations on the silica sand geologic features, grain size, chemical composition, easy remove of deleterious impurities, together with the level of friable sand some required form of processing technique to conform very closely to the standard specifications, and consistency in quality suitable for economic applications. The silica sand beds are sited at the top of southwards moderate sloping to the base of the succession. The consolidated and very compact ferruginous sandstones comprise calcareous quartz arenite and ferruginous calcareous quartz arenite. Both consist chiefly of >90% quartz, fine to coarse, rounded to sub-angular occasionally fractured grains (>95wt. % silica). The SiO2 discriminates three Grades I, II, III: > 98, < 98 > 97, < 97> 95 wt. % and as well, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 contents: 0.35 0.14, 1.710.3; 0.80.2, 2.3-1.71; and 1.840.4, 2.3 1.71 wt. % respectively. The 3 grades record highest wt. % of the size <600 μm >106 μm to be considered suitable for upgrading the sand. Exceptional samples of Grades I, II exist where the sizes >600 μm possess high wt. % to recommend combination of these size classes > 600 μm of the sand from the sites of such samples on exploitation. The washing of the sizes <600 μm >106 μm produced sharp decrease of Fe2O3, CaO content of the three grades (times 0.39, 0.32, 0.18 and 0.46, 0.35, 0.016). Loss on washing with water is 6.4, 1.8, 16.0 kg/ton and with 2 and 5% HCl solution 6.4, 1.8, 16.0 kg/ton to be considered an approach of suitable upgrading.