Sand processing

Ulrike Mehl
Editor of MINERAL PROCESSING

Sand is most commonly associated with the beach and building sandcastles, especially in summer – and this already addresses one of the most important functions of this valuable raw material: sand is an indispensable raw material for a wide range of industries, such as the manufacture of glass, electronic devices, cosmetics and much more – but especially for the construction industry.

The various sand extraction processes – usually by wet or dry mining – vary depending on the deposit and the desired sand quality. In all cases, however, the extracted sand undergoes a washing process to remove impurities such as clay, silt or organic matter. Martin Engineering‘s technical paper from p. 52 describes the sand processing in a sand mining operation in the south of the USA, focussing on dewatering with the help of high-performance screen vibrators. The sand is shaken up in a screening process so that the water can run off as quickly as possible before the sand is fed into the drying kiln.

Energy efficient grinding technology is the focus of Dr Joachim Harder‘s technical paper from p. 40. In ore grinding, HPGRs (High Pressure Grinding Rolls) have developed into an efficient grinding process that is associated with high energy and CO₂ savings. The article highlights current market trends for HPGRs in the mining sector.

Other articles in this issue deal with new developments in areas such as drive technology, crushing and screening plants and the production of high-quality concrete aggregates and road construction materials.

Enjoy the summer