Detailed Project Report on Quartz Processing

QUARTZ PROCESSING

[EIRI/EDPR/4332] J.C.: 2515XL 

INTRODUCTION

Silica is the name given to a group of minerals composed of silicon and oxygen, the two most abundant elements in the earth's crust. Silica is found commonly in the crystalline state and rarely in an amorphous state. It is composed of one atom of silicon and two atoms of oxygen resulting in the chemical formula SiO2 Sand consists of small grains or particles of mineral and rock fragments. Although these grains may be of any mineral composition, the dominant component of sand is the mineral quartz, which is composed of silica (silicon dioxide). Other components may include aluminium, feldspar and iron-bearing minerals. Sand with particularly high silica levels that is used for purposes other than construction is referred to as silica sand or industrial sand.

For a particular source of sand to be suitable for glassmaking, it must not only contain a very high proportion of silica but also should not contain more than strictly limited amounts of certain metallic elements. Silica sand is also normally required to be well-sorted, i.e. to have grains of an approximately uniform size. Most sources of sand used by the construction industry do not satisfy these requirements and are not, therefore, suitable for glassmaking.

Industrial uses of silica sand depend on its purity and physical characteristics. Some of the more important physical properties are: grain size and distribution, grain shape, grain strength and refractoriness.

Industrial sand is a term normally applied to high purity silica sand products with closely controlled sizing. It is a more precise product than common concrete and asphalt gravels. 

Silica is the name given to a group of minerals composed solely of silicon and oxygen, the two most abundant elements in the earth’s crust. In spite of its simple chemical formula, SiO2, silica exists in many different shapes and crystalline structures. Found most commonly in the crystalline state, it also occurs in an amorphous form resulting from weathering or plankton fossilization.

For industrial and manufacturing applications, deposits of silica yielding products of at least 95% SiO2 are preferred. Silica is hard, chemically inert and has a high melting point, attributable to the strength of the bonds between the atoms. These are prized qualities in applications like foundries and filtration systems. Quartz may be transparent to translucent and has a vitreous lustre, hence its use in glassmaking and ceramics. Industrial sand’s strength, silicon dioxide contribution and non-reactive properties make it an indispensable ingredient in the production of thousands of everyday products.

Quartz Powder

Some silica sand deposits may cater for the used primarily as metallurgical sand. The copper and zinc at some smelter uses the sand as a fluxing agent which, in the molten state, reacts with various impurities in the ore and produces a slag. The slag is drawn off with the impurities, leaving a more refined metal behind. Silica sands have a large number of other industrial uses depending on their characteristics.

• Production of glass

• Foundry sand

• Ceramics

• Sandblasting and other abrasives

• building products

• Filler and extender

• Production of silicon and silicon carbide

• Pigments

• Hydraulic fracturing and propping in the oil industry

• Water filtration

Silica, The most common occurrence of silica (qv) is in the form of quartz. Silica is the primary ingredient in glass and is usually obtained from high purity sandstones or quartzites by crushing and grinding, or from high-grade sand deposits. The  term  glass sand may refer to a deposit of sand or, more commonly it is  used to  refer  to  the  sand after  it  has  been  beneficiated  from sandstones, quartzites, or natural sands.

Quartz is used extensively in the ceramic and metallurgical industries. Large single crystals, found in hydrothermal veins in Brazil, are suitable for utilizing the piezoelectric effect found in this mineral. As a refractory it is used in the manufacture of firebrick, and as a network former it is used on a massive scale in the glass industry.  

When pure, it is a colourless hard material given to conchoidal fracture. 

When impure it has many colours that make it an attractive gemstone: agate, onyx, amethyst, topaz, and opal, a gel form containing appreciable water, are examples.

Quartzite,  the only primary raw material for silica  brick, is a very hard, but unmetamorphosed sandstone consisting  chiefly of  micro  crystals of quartz which have been so  completely  and firmly cemented with secondary silica that the rock breaks across or  through the individual grains rather than around  them.  This cement grows in optical and crystallographic continuity around each quartz grain, thereby lightly interlocking the grains as the original pore spaces are completely filled with   secondary enlargements developed on the grains of quartz. It is almost pure silica having the common crystal form of hexagonal prism with ends of positive and negative rhombohedra. Its refractive index is close to that of balsma. It has a weak birefringence and positive elongation. Its hardness is 7 and specific gravity 2.65.

Quartzite,  which is distinct from quartz and  suitable  for the  manufacture  of  silica refractories,  generally  occurs  as surface  out-crop. This rock is abundantly available in most of the countries of the world. The best quality quartzite in India is available only in and around Bihar Sharif in Bihar.

The most common mineral in the Earth's continental crust is quartz, and most silica sand is made up of broken down quartz crystals. Silica is another name for silicon dioxide, SiO2, of which quartz is a specific latticed structure. So silica sand is quartz that over the years, through the work of water and wind, has been broken down into tiny granules. These granules can be used for many different purposes, and can be found in most non-tropical regions of the world.

Silica sand is used throughout the world, and in so many different  ways it is hard to imagine a world without it.  From water filtration, to glass manufacture, to industrial casting, to sand blasting, to producing concrete, to adding texture to slick roads, silica sand impacts every aspect of daily life. Many industrial suppliers carry silica sand in bulk quantities, while some smaller household stores sell it in smaller amounts for home or home construction use. One of the major uses of silica sand in the modern world is as an ingredient in industrial concrete. Silica sand produces the bulk of a great deal of concrete, although some concrete bypasses its use for safety and strength reasons.  

It is intended to prepare a Feasibility Report to install a Quartz Processing Facility with a production capacity of 200 TPD as a Green Field Project.

COST ESTIMATION

Plant Capacity                                    200 MT/Day

Land & Building (8050 sq.mt.)  Rs. 5.52 Cr

Plant & Machinery                              Rs. 3.14 Cr

Working Capital for 1 Month            Rs. 1.58 Cr

Total Capital Investment                  Rs. 10.64 Cr

Rate of Return                                   18%

Break Even Point                              68%

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

QUARTZ POWDER

PROPERTIES

PROPERTIES OF SILICA SAND

GRADES OF SILICA SAND

HAZARDS

PROPERTIES

SPECIFICATION AND COMPOSITION

ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION OF QUARTZ POWDER

QUARTZ [SILICA POWDER]

QUARTZ [SILICA POWDER] IS USED IN ALL LEADING INDUSTRIAL USES.

USES AND APPLICATIONS

INDUSTRIAL SAND APPLICATIONS

GRADES OF SILICA SAND FOR GLASSMAKING

BIS SPECIFICATIONS

MARKET OVERVIEW

MARKET INSIGHTS

PRODUCT INSIGHTS

END-USER INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

REST OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA QUARTZ MARKET BY END-USER INDUSTRY

RAW MATERIALS

MINERAL PROPERTIES

QUARTZ POWDER DESCRIPTION

QUARTZ POWDER PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AVAILABLE:

QUARTZ POWDER STANDARD GRANULATIONS AVAILABLE:

GRAVEL SIZES:

POWDER SIZES

RAW MATERIAL SUPPLIERS

QUARTZ LUMPS

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE OF QUARTZ POWDER

PROCESS FLOW

MAIN STEPS

RAW MATERIAL PREPARATION

CRUSHING PROCESS

GRINDING PROCESS

THE PRINCIPLE PURPOSES OF GRINDING ARE:

THE TWO STAGES OF GRINDING ARE:

COARSE GRINDING:

FINE GRINDING:

SIZING

THERE ARE TWO METHODS OF INDUSTRIAL SIZING.

QUALITY CONTROL

PACKING

MARKING

THE BAGS SHALL BE MARKED WITH THE FOLLOWING:

PLANT & MACHINERIES

MACHINERY USED ARE BROADLY DETAILED BELOW

TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES

CRUSHING TECHNOLOGIES

JAW CRUSHERS

GYRATORY (CONE) CRUSHERS

HAMMER CRUSHER

IMPACTOR/IMPACT BREAKERS:-

ROTOPOCTOR

SCREENING TECHNOLOGIES

GRIZZLIES TYPE SCREENS

VIBRATING SCREEN

ROTARY SCREEN

WASHING TECHNOLOGIES

MATERIAL HANDLING TECHNOLOGIES USED IN CRUSHING UNITS

FEEDERS

CONVEYORS

TYPES OF CONVEYORS ARE AS FOLLOWS

BUCKET ELEVATORS

MANUFACTURERS/SUPPLIERS OF QUARTZ POWDER

SUPPLIERS OF PLANT AND EQUIPMENTS

CRUSHING PLANT

BALL MILL

POWER TRANSFORMER

ELECTRICAL PANEL

SHOT BLASTING MACHINE

AIR POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENTS

AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENTS

AIR COMPRESSOR

PLATFORM WEIGHING MACHINE

MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENTS

FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENTS

HDPE BAGS

UTILITIES REQUIREMENT (ESTIMATED - MONTH)

WASTE EFFLUENT/FLUE GAS EMISSION (ESTIMATED)

GREEN BELT

WATER

PRINCIPLES OF PLANT LAYOUT

MAJOR PROVISIONS IN ROAD PLANNING FOR MULTIPURPOSE SERVICE ARE:

PLANT LOCATION FACTORS

PRIMARY FACTORS

RAW-MATERIAL SUPPLY:

MARKETS:

POWER AND FUEL SUPPLY:

WATER SUPPLY:

CLIMATE:

SPECIFIC FACTORS

TRANSPORTATION:

WASTE DISPOSAL:

LABOR:

REGULATORY LAWS:

TAXES:

SITE CHARACTERISTICS:

COMMUNITY FACTORS:

FLOOD AND FIRE CONTROL:

ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

CONSTRUCTION PHASE

OPERATION PHASE

MITIGATION MEASURES (PROPOSED)

HEALTH SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT

PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE

PROJECT FINANCIALS

BASIS & PRESUMPTIONS (FOR PROFITABILITY WORKINGS)

PRELIMINARY PLANT LAYOUT

APPENDIX – A:

01. PLANT ECONOMICS

02. LAND & BUILDING

03. PLANT AND MACHINERY

04. OTHER FIXED ASSESTS

05. FIXED CAPITAL

06. RAW MATERIAL

07. SALARY AND WAGES

08. UTILITIES AND OVERHEADS

09. TOTAL WORKING CAPITAL

10. TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT

11. COST OF PRODUCTION

12. TURN OVER/ANNUM

13. BREAK EVEN POINT

14. RESOURCES FOR FINANCE

15. INSTALMENT PAYABLE IN 5 YEARS

16. DEPRECIATION CHART FOR 5 YEARS

17. PROFIT ANALYSIS FOR 5 YEARS

18. PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET FOR (5 YEARS)