The Production of Sand for Making Colourless Glasses

JSGT 1956 V40 T363-T375

The necessity for producing glassmaking sand from indigenous raw material has led to a study of purification processes. In general three stages are required. These comprise water washing to remove ferruginous clay, a surface treatment to remove contamination from the silica grains and a separation of iron-containing granular minerals. For this third stage, froth flotation is preferred. The physical and chemical fundamentals of the purification processes are discussed, and their application is illustrated by a description of a sand purification plant which has been in operation for several years.

H. D. Segrove