A holistic approach towards characterizing the El-Oued siliceous sand (eastern Algeria) for potential industrial applications

Abstract

Physicochemical, mineralogical, and thermogravimetric characterizations were carried out to assess the potential technological benefits of natural sand deposits from El-Oued district (eastern Algeria). The use of granulometric analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM/EDX), and thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis was necessary to further highlight the main physical and chemical properties of the studied sands. The grain size distribution suggests fine-to-medium sands with a mean grain size ranged from 207 to 261 μm. However, the grain micro-texture features indicate aeolian nature of El-Oued sand, and the chemical analysis reveals that all samples contain a high ratio of silica (SiO 2 ) reaching 94% with low content of CaO, Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , Na 2 O, and K 2 O oxides, which reflects the siliceous nature of El-Oued sand. The mineralogy of the El-Oued sand consists mainly of α-quartz (≤ 93% SiO 2 ) with minor calcite (CaCO 3 ) and very small amounts of feldspar mineral. Furthermore, the crystallite size of Quartz in all sand samples was determined to be in the range of nanometric scale. Thermal analysis (TGA) showed that El-Oued sand was relatively stable upon 800 °C. These characteristics corroborate the interesting and promising uses of El-Oued sand in the industry and nanotechnology. KeywordsSand • Mineralogical and chemical characterization • α-Quartz • Rietveld refinement • Industrial applications

Extraction and Physicochemical Characterization of Highly-pure Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles from Locally Available Dunes Sand

“…4 -a). Furthermore, the XRD pattern of the sand demonstrates the presence of α-quartz at 2θ° = 20.95°, 26.73°, 36.64° 39.5°, 40.39°, 42.55°, 45.88°, 50.23°, 55°, 60°, 68°, and 81° (SiO 2 PDF Card #46–1045) [ 17 ]. As well, two peaks appeared at 2θ°=29.5° and 47.6°, which correspond to calcite (CaCO 3 PDF card # 47–1743) [ 20 ].…”

“…5 -a), the broad peak at 3426 cm − 1 is due to the O-H stretching vibrations of adsorbed water on the SiO 2 surface [ 28 ]. The absorption bands observed at 1427 cm − 1 and 2511 cm − 1 are attributable to the asymmetrical and symmetrical stretching mode vibrations of (CO 3 ) −2 in calcite (CaCO 3 ) [ 17 ]. The adsorption band at 1080, 694 and 459 cm − 1 are due to the symmetric stretching and bending vibrations of the Si–O–Si bonds, respectively.…”

“…Nowadays, various natural precursors, including clay, rice husk, palm kernel shell, sugarcane bagasse, and bamboo leaves, are used to synthesize SiO 2 nanoparticles [ 13 – 16 ]. Dune sand is a natural inorganic material abundant in the Sahara and mainly consists of quartz (> 70% SiO 2 ), a crystalline form of silica [ 17 ]. Consequently, sand dunes can provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative source of amorphous silica.…”

A comparative analysis of the microstructural and physicochemical properties of alluvial and dune sands from northeast Algerian Sahara

“…Algeria is Africa's largest country, with sand dunes covering nearly a quarter of its surface area. The Algerian Sahara includes one of the world's greatest eolian sand dune deposits (about 2.4.10 6 km 2 ) (Meftah et al, 2021). These sand dunes are divided into ergs, which are vast expanses of continuous sand dunes, with the most significant one being the Grand Oriental Erg (Meftah et al, 2020).…”

“…Although this sand is used in construction projects in El-Oued, no comprehensive research on its characterization has been found to assess its compliance with standards. Due to the scarcity of this material, the use of dune sand in construction projects has become a necessity due to its availability in huge quantities in this region (Meftah et al, 2021).…”