JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.

org
doi:10.14355/mwe.2016.05.002

MineralIndustryinEgyptPartII
NonMetallicCommoditiesSilicaOres
EzzElDin,M.1;Abouzeid,A.M.2;Elmaadawy,Kh.3;Khalid,A.M.4;andElSherif.,R.E.5
1EgyptianMineralResourceAuthorityEMRA
2CairoUniversity,FacultyofEngineering,Dept.ofMining.
3MinofiyaUniversity,FacultyofSciences,Drpt.OfGeology.
4ExEgyptianMineralResourceAuthorityEMRA
5Geologistfreehand

Abstract
Silicon, nowadays, is involved in many advanced and high technology industries due to its unique property. The silica ores
existintheformofquartz,quartzite,andwhitesand.InEgypt,quartzisconfinedtoigneousandmetamorphicorigins,while
white sand exists in the form of sedimentary deposits. Quartz and quartzite are found in association with basement rocks in
Eastern Desert and Western Desert. While white sand deposits are widely distributed in Sinai, Eastern Desert, and Western
Desert,withthemostcommercialdepositsinSinaiandEasternDesert.
Estimationofthegeologicalandeconomicreservesindicatehugetonnagesofalltypesofsilicaores.Quartzreservessumupto
20milliontons,andsilicasandssumuptomorethan3billiontons.Evaluationofthechemicalandphysicalcharacteristicsof
the silica in Egypt showed high quality silica with low contaminations. The major part of these reserves is available through
openpitminingwithverylowcostsduetominimaloverburden.Someofthesilicasanddepositscontainahighpercentageof
whitekaolin,uptoabout11percent,whichisseparatedasavaluableeconomicbyproduct.Thebasicprocessingoperationsof
thewhitesandarewashing,screening,attritionscrubbing,desliminganddewatering.Insomelocationsmagneticseparationis
usedfortheremovalofmagneticimpurities.Academicresearchworkshowedthatthequalityofthewhitesandproductcanbe
improvedwhenfrothflotationoperationisused.
Keywords
SilicaOresinEgypt,Quartz,Quartzite,GlassSands,ProcessingofWhiteSands

Introduction
Thesilicaoccurrencesencompassbasicallyquartz,quartziteandwhitesand.Silica,nowadays,isessentialinhigh
technologyindustriesduetoitsabilitytoactasmetallicand/ornonmetallicsubstance.Itsuniquepropertymakes
itoneofthemostusefulnaturalsubstances.Itiscomposedofsiliconandoxygen,thetwomostabundantelements
in the Earths crust, in the form of SiO2. It is composed of silica tetrahedral, and belongs to the rhombohedral
crystaltype,hexagonalsystem.Thesiliconelementrepresents28.1%oftheconstituentsoftheEarthscrust(Wills,
2006).Silicaoccursmostlyinacrystallineformandrarelyasanoncrystalline(amorphous)form.Initspureform,
itisacolorless,odorless,noncombustiblesolid.Crystallinesilicahasthreemaincrystallinevarieties:quartz(byfar
themostabundantspecies),tridymite,andcristobalite.Theworldannualproductionofsilicain2013ismorethan
140 billion tons of industrial silica sands (Dolley, 2013). Figure 1 presents the world production of silica in the
period20072013.Theworldproductionraterangedfrom118milliontonsin2009to142milliontonsin2013.
Silicaoresoccurintwoformsquartzandwhitesand.Theydiffermainlyintheoriginwherequartzispresentin
igneousrocksasaresidualofmagmaticactivitiesorhydrothermalsolutions,andmetamorphicrocks,whilewhite
sandisaweatheredproductofoldsedimentary,metamorphic,origneousorigin.
Duetothisoriginwhitesandcouldbecontaminatedwithclaymineralsindifferentratios.Asamatteroffact,the
strategicimportanceofsilicasandsattractedmanyscientistsaroundtheworldtoinvestigatetheoriginofthesilica
oredeposits,characterizethem,andworkforimprovingtheirgradeinpracticalandeconomicmanners(Abdallah
etal.,1992;Awadh,2010;Bandeletal.,1987;Blattetal.,1980;Carver,1971;ElBokletal.,1993;EzzElDin,2007;
Issawi et al., 1999; Khalid, 1993; Klitzsch et al., 1990; Madanat et al., 2006; Norton, 1957; Mustafa et al., 2011;

www.mwejournal.orgJournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016

Ramadan,2014;Sundararajanetal.,2009;KrinsleyandBoornkamp,1973).Thenaturalsilicacycleandsandtexture
areshowninFigures2and3(BarrettandBeskeen,1986).Whitequartzsand,asdefinedbytheBritishGeological
Surveyissandusedforapplicationsotherthanconstructionaggregatesandwhicharevaluedfortheirphysical
andchemicalproperties(Platiasetal.,2014).

FIGURE1:WORLDPRODUCTIONOFSILICAINTHEPERIOD2009T2013(DOLLEY,2010,2011,2012,2013)

FIGURE2:NATURALCYCLEOFSILICAFIGURE3:CYCLEOFFORMATIONOF
(QUARTZANDSILICASAND)FORMATIONSROUNDEDSANDFROMMOTHERROCK.
(BARRETTANDBESKEEN,1986).(BARRETTANDBESKEEN,1986).

Silicasandisaweatheredderivativeofquartz,asseeninFigure3.Itoccursasloosesand(sanddunes)and/oras
consolidatedrock,asseeninFigures4and5.Sanddunesareformedbymovingwind,flowingwater,orglaciers.
Thegrainsizerangesandsizedistributionsofthesilicasandsdependonthemodeofformation.Thedesertsandis
verycloselysized,whereastheglacialsandisverycoarseandhasawidesizedistribution.Themodeofformation
affectsgreatlythesizedistributionofthesand.Figure6showsthedifferentdistributionsaccordingtotheprocessit
wasformedwith(BarrettandBeskeen,1986).

10

JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.org

UsesofQuartzandSilicaSand
Electronicgradequartzcrystalissinglecrystalsilicawithpropertiesthatmakeituniquelyusefulinaccuratefilters,
frequency controls, and timers used in electronic circuits. These devices are used for a variety of electronic
applications in aerospace hardware, commercial and military navigational instruments, communications
equipment, computers, and consumer goods. Such high technology uses generate practically all the demand for
electronicgradequartzcrystals.Alesseramountofopticalgradequartzcrystalisusedforlensesandwindowsin
specializeddevices.Naturalelectronicgradequartzcrystalhasbeenreplacedbyculturedquartzcrystalsince1971.
Theuseofnaturalcrystalforcarvingandothergemstoneapplicationsisstillgoingon(Dolley,2004).
Silicasandsareusedinmanycommercialprocessesandproducts,andtherefore,arecommonlyclassifiedonthe
bases of their industrial applications. This classification depends on the mineralogical, chemical, and physical
properties such as size, size distribution, surface area, melting point, and particle shape (Platias et al., 2014). In
general, the specificationsof the silica sand dependon the intended useand the purity level of thequartz sand.
Figure7showsthedistributionoftheusesofwhitesilicasandintheworldin2013(Zarad,2014).

FIGURE4:CONSOLIDATEDSILICASAND.

FIGURE5:WHITESILICASANDDUNES.

11

www.mwejournal.orgJournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016

FIGURE6:THEDIFFERENTMODESOFSANDFORMATION:A)DESERTSAND,B)BEACHSAND,C)LAKECLAY,D)GLACIAL
WASHOUT(BARRETTANDBESKEEN,1986).

Silicasandisusedmainlyformakingglass(opticalglassessuchascameras,opticalinstruments,microscopes,in
opticalfibers,andothertypesofglass).Forthispurpose,theBritishStandardBS2975includesrecommendedlimits
forthecompositionofquartzsandforsevendifferentgradesofglass,asseeninTable1.Industrialsilicasandsare
alsousedforabrasives,grouts,andextenders.Here,particlesizeandsurfaceareaofthequartzsandaretwoofthe
mostimportantattributes.Quartzsandisalsousedtomakemouldsandcoresformetalcastings.Thisuserequires
sandconsistingofuniformsizedroundedgrainsofquartz(Platiasetal.,2014;Moldenke,1930).Therearemany
other uses of silica sand such as electronics, renewable energy sources (solar energy), the manufacture of silicon
carbide,sodiumsilicate,Portlandcement,siliconalloyswithmetals,siliconmetal(chipsandwafers),filtermedia
in water treatment, hydraulic fracturing in oil reservoirs, sand blasting, rubber, paints, plastics, polymers, and a
host of other applications (Platias et al., 2014; Sundararajan et al., 2009). Table 2 summarizes the chemical
composition limits of the silica sand for various products as specified by the American Ceramics Society and
NationalBureauofStandardsfordifferentglassproducts(Norton,1957).Sincesizedistributionofglasssandsisan
essentialattributefortheglassrawmaterials,Table3providesthesizerangesofthesandasrecommendedbyboth
the American and British standards. Table 4 summarizes the required chemical compositions of quartz
recommendedforvariousindustries.
TABLE1:BS2975SPECSFORTHEGRADESOFSILICASANDFORTHEDIFFERENTTYPESOFGLASSPRODUCTS(BRITISHSTANDARDINSTITUTION,1988).

12

Composition

Grade

Product

SiO2%

Fe2O3%

Al2O3%

Cr2O3%

Opticalglass

99.7

0.013

o.2

0.00015

Tablewareglass

99.6

0.01

0.2

0.0002

Borosilicateglass

99.6

0.01

0.2

0.0002

Colorlesscontainerglass

98.8

0.03

0.1

0.0005

Flatglass

99.0

0.1

0.5

Coloredcontainerglass

97.0

0.25

0.1

Insulatingfibers

94.5

0.3

3.0

JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.org

TABLE.2:RECOMMENDEDSPECIFICATIONSPROPOSEDBYTHEAMERICANCERAMICSOCIETYANDNATIONALBUREAU
OFSTANDARDSFORCHEMICALCOMPOSITIONOFGLASSSANDUSEDFORTHEPRODUCTIONOFDIFFERENTGLASSPRODUCTS(NORTON,1957).

S/N

Product/glass

Min.SiO2%

Max.Al2O3%

Max.Fe2O3%

Max.CaO+MgO%

Qualityopticalglass

99.8

0.1

0.02

0.1

Qualityflintcontainers
&tableware

98.5

0.5

0.035

0.2

Qualityflintglass

95

0.035

0.5

98

0.5

0.06

0.5

95

0.06

0.5

98

0.5

0.3

0.5

3
4
5
6

Qualitysheet&plate
glass
Qualitysheet&plate
glass
Qualitygreencontainer
&windowglass

Qualitygreenglass

95

0.3

0.5

QualityAmberglass
container

98.5

0.5

1.0

0.5

QualityAmber

95

4.0

10

0.5

Pure white sands are used mainly in glass making, silicon chips and wafers, glass fibers, and other industries
(Arrifin, 2004). Figure 7 shows that the main uses of silica sands worldwide are distributed as follows: 62% for
makingglass,14%forsiliconchips,6%forglassfibers,and18%forotherpurposes(Zarad,2006).
TABLE3:GRADINGOFSILICASANDSFORGLASSMANUFACTUREASSPECIFIEDBYTHEAMERICANANDBRITISHSTANDARDS.

ParticleSize,microns

Weight,percent

+1000

0.0

1000+600

2to6

600+420

10to15

420+150

80Minimum

150+125

10Maximum

125

5Maximum

TABLE4:RANGEOFTHECHEMICALCOMPOSITIONSOFQUARTZREQUIREDFORDIFFERENTINDUSTRIES.

Industry

SiO2,%

Al2O3,%

Fe,%

CaO,%

Na2O,%

Militaryproduction

9396

0.251.5

Electricpoles

9699.5

0.5

Ceramics

97.799.5

0.02

0.010.19

0.010.05

Ferrosilicon

9899

0.20.26

0.02

0.2

Chemicals

96

0.4

Siliconcarbide

99.599.75

0.04

0.01

0.01

Opticalandcrystals

99.799.8

0.01

0.014

0.02

Silicaglass(sodiumsilicate)

99

0.075

0.92

Spaceindustries

99.9

0.02

0.01

0.01

Foundry

72.591.11

0.081.0

6.224.7

Rubber

98

0.1

Bricks

9599

0.12.8

0.31.3

0.22.4

0.21.5

Tomeettherequiredspecificationsforaspecificproduct,thesandoftenhastobesubjectedtoextensivephysical
and chemical processing. This involves crushing, screening and further adjusting the grainsize distribution,
togetherwithremovingthecontaminatedimpuritiesinthesandbulkandfromthesurfaceoftheindividualsand
grains.Presenceofmetallicoxidesintheglassmakingsandsusuallyproducescoloredglass.Ifironispresent,the
resultingglassiscoloredgreenorbrown.Theironlevelisconsequentlythemostcriticalparameterindetermining
whetherparticularsandcanbeusedtomakeclearglass.Sandsusedtomanufacturecolorlessglassaretherefore
likelytobeprocessedfurtherbycertainmethodssuchasgravityseparation,magneticseparation,acidleaching,or

13

www.mwejournal.orgJournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016

even froth flotation. Figure 8 presents the general layout for extracting and processing of white sand for the
differentindustrialuses(BGS,2009).

FIGURE7:DISTRIBUTIONOFTHEWORLDUSESOFWHITESILICASANDS(ZARAD,2014)

FIGURE8:GENERALLAYOUTOFQUARTZSANDPROCESSING(BGS,2009)

Quartz, Quarzite, and Silica Sands in Egypt

QuartzandQuartzite
QuartzgenerallyoccursinEgyptintheEasternDesertinassociationwithigneousandmetamorphicrocks,while
quartziteiscommonlyfoundintheWesternDesert(Omayra,2002).Inthefollowing,thedistributionofeachtype
andpossiblereservesandchemicalcompositionsaregiven.
1)

ModeofQuartzOccurrences

Quartz occurs in nature in many forms, but the commercial quantities generally crops out in the following
forms:
1Quartzcapsofplutonsareformedasaresultofmagmaticdifferentiationandaftergraniticplutoncooledand
solidified.Someremainingmagmagetsmoreconcentrationinwaterandsilicawhichaccumulateattheroofof
graniticbodiesorassociatewithpegmatites.Thesequartzcapsdifferinsizeandpurityfromoneplacetothe
other.Themainganguemineralsaremicaandrarelyfeldspars,asseeninFigure9(EzzElDin,2007).
2Quartzveins:thequartwhichwasformedascapsleavesresidualsolutionsthatpenetratedthroughthecracks
andalongfissurestoformveins,andsometimesformlensoidalbodieswithdifferentdimensions.Figures1013
showsomequartsbodiesintheEasternDesert.

14

JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.org

FIGURE9:MARWASEWEQATQUARTZ(EZZELDIN,2007)

FIGURE10SHOWSQUARTZOVERGRANITOIDROCKS;(A)APHOTOGRAPHSHOWINGTRACHYTICDYKECUTTINGTHROUGH
THEBASICDYKE,WHICHCUTSBOTHQUARTZANDFOLIATEDTONALITEATWADIFANAT,AND(B)APHOTOGRAPH
SHOWINGABASICDYKECUTTINGAFOLIATEDTONALITEATWADIFANATBOTHPHOTOSAANDBARETAKENLOOKING
WEST(EZZELDIN,2007).

FIGURE11:WADIMUBARKQUARTZ(EZZELDIN,2007)

FIGURE12:QUARTZPLUGOFWADIUMMJURUF(LOOKINGNORTH)(EZZELDIN,2007).

15

www.mwejournal.orgJournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016

FIGURE13:ABUFANANIQUARTZ(EZZELDIN,2007)

3Quartziteispresentinbothsedimentaryandmetamorphicrocks.Itisoriginatedfromthemetamorphismof
sandstoneand,generally,formsheetsandlenses.QuartziteinAluwaynatareaSouthWestofEgyptformlarge
extendedsheetsoccasionallyassociatedwithmicaandfeldspars(Naimet1998;Khalidetal.2002;Khattabetal
2002).Table5andFigure14showthelocationsofthemostimportantquartzdepositsinEgypt.
The annual production and export quantities of quartz are shown in Figure 15. The production is relatively
more than the exported amount, because the difference is used locally. The production of the quartz has
significantlydecreasedintheyear2012/2013asaresultoftemporallylocalreasons.
TABLE5:LOCATIONSANDGEOLOGICALRESERVESOFQUARTZINEGYPT

16

Composition

Location

Reserves,103tons

SiO2,%

Fe2O3,%

Al2O3,%

AbuFanani

100

96.4

0.17

0.27

UmGhanam

40

ND

ND

ND

RodAshab

ND

ND

ND

ND

Hamri

15

98.52

0.19

0.2

UmRashed

40

ND

ND

ND

GabalElTaweela

20

ND

ND

ND

SweigetElBeda

500

97.93

0.33

0.25

WadiEssel

ND

ND

ND

ND

WadiAbuShabah,Qussierarea

130

99.28

0.04

0.15

UmEshElHamra,Fawakheir

4,340

99.01

0.24

0.04

WadiKarim,BirKarim

7,456

98.28

0).29

0.17

HamraDome

1,354

99.34

0.12

0.02

WadiAtalla

269

ND

ND

ND

GabalShayiab

250

99.6

0.19

0.02

WadiFanat

800

99.45

0.14

0.02

WadiWarbeit1

405

99.22

0.27

0.03

WadiWarbeit2

81

99.44

0.28

0.02

WadiBoyia

697

99.09

ND

0.06

SouthSorukA

211

98.74

ND

0.06

SouthSorukB

26

98.98

ND

0.06

MansourDiabA

1,325

ND

NDD

ND

MarwatKlimkanW.ElBeida

10,000

ND

ND

ND

W.AnterRoadAbid

400

ND

ND

ND

JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.org

W.KhedahG.UmAthli

450

ND

ND

ND

G.Sorasr

35

ND

ND

ND

W.Kharit

1,300

ND

ND

ND

G.ElNikhairah

50

ND

ND

ND

G.HumrAlKarim

130

ND

ND

ND

W.ElGararah

2,300

ND

ND

ND

G.ElKahfa

940

ND

ND

ND

FIGURE14:MAPOFEGYPTSHOWINGTHEQUARTZOCCURRENCESINTHEEASTERNDESERT,ASSOCIATEDWITHTHERED
SEAGEOLOGICALSTRUCTURE.

FIGURE15:PRODUCTIONANDEXPORTOFQUARTZINEGYPTINTHEPERIOD2010/2013(ZARAD,2014)

17

www.mwejournal.orgJournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016

WhiteSand(GlassSand)
Silica sands are the most widely used among all the nonmetallic commodities for their physical and chemical
characteristics such as color, hardness, heat resistance, high melting point (1760C) as well as their low price.
Geologically,whitesandsinmanyplacesaroundtheworldareformedinthePaleozoicFormation.
TheimportantlocationsofwhitesandsinEgyptarewidelydistributedinSinai,NorthernpartofEasternDesert,
andintheWesternDesert.Forthelastfewdecades,theEgyptianglassandcrystalfactorieshavebeenusingthe
white sand for their firstclass international products. The demand for this high purity sand is continually
increasing (Kamel et al.,1997). The high qualityand the potential value of theEgyptian white sands(silicasand
deposits) attracted the attention of many researchers (Khalid, 1993; ElBokle and Hasanein, 1993; ElFawal, 1994;
Fathi, 2002; Bayat et al., 2007; Mustafa et al., 2011; and Ramadan, 2014; Weissbrod, 2004). About 16 localities
containinghighgradesilicasandshavebeenidentifiedinEgypt.ThemostimportantoftheseareWadiQenaand
Wadi ElDakhl (ElZaafarana) located in the Northern part of the Eastern Desert and El Maadi, and Gebel El
GunnahinSinai,asseeninFigure16(ElWekeilandGaafar,2014).Thereservesatthementionedareasexceed3
billionsoftonsofthehighqualitysilicasand,whichfulfillthespecificationsoftheglassindustry,paints,foundry,
chemicals,andceramicsrawmaterials.

FIGURE16:LOCATIONMAPOFGLASSSANDSINTHEMAINOCCURRENCESOFEGYPT(ELWEKEILANDGAAFAR,2014).

2)

Geology

1EasternDesert:
The largest deposit of white sand in the Eastern Desert lies at Wadi Qena. The white sand in Wadi Qena
constitutesmostofthelowerPaleozoicNaqusFormation(450km2)NorthEastofQena.TheNorthernpartof
Wadi Qena consists of the exposed lower Paleozoic rock units which are represented by Araba and Naqus
Formation (Wanas 2011). The Naqus Formation rests unconformably on the peneplained Precambrian
crystalline rocks of ArabaNubian shield and form scattered outcrops in a series of hills and mesas. The
thicknessoftheNaqusFormationrangesfrom22mto120m(AbouElAnwarandElWekeil,2013).
Two stratigraphic sections have been investigated in the study area by Abou ElAnwar and ElWekeil, 2013.

18

JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.org

These sections compriseamajor part of the Naqus Formation(Figure17). The first section(A) isabout106 m
thick and the second section (B) measures around 120 m. The Naqus sandstones have a similar lithological
characteristic in both sections. They are commonly, white, finetomedium grained, moderatetowellsorted,
subangulartosubrounded,consolidatedtolooselyconsolidatedmaterials,andoccasionallycontaincoarsesand
and granules. The sandstones are characterized by the presence of different primary sedimentary structures
such as planar and trough crossbedding and flat bedding. Kaolinitic lenses are randomly distributed
throughoutthewholesequenceespeciallyattheupperpartofthesediment.TheupperboundaryoftheNaqus
sandstones is absent in section (A), while section (B) is unconformably overlain by the shallow marine
sedimentsoftheCenomanianGalalaFormation.Thelaterformationismadeupofabout15mthickgreenish
yellowshaleandsandymarlintercalatedwithclaystone.

FIGURE17:LITHOSTRATIGRAPHICCOLUMNARSECTIONSOFTHEMEASUREDNAQUSSANDSTONESEQUENCESMODIFIED
AFTER(ABOUELANWARANDELWEKEIL,2013).

2Sinai
The white sand deposits in Sinai belong to the Naqus Formation of Early Paleozoic age. The Early Paleozoic
sectioninAbuDurbainSinaiwasclassified,frombasetotop,asArabaFormationandNaqusFormation(Early
Paleozoic age), unconformably overlain by Malha Formation of Lower Cretaceous (Hassan,1967; Said,1971;
Omara, 1972; Issawi and Jux, 1982). The term Naqus Formation was introduced by Hassan (1967) and was
adoptedbySaid(1971)describingathicksiliciclasticsequence.ItunconformablyoverliestheArabaFormation
andisoverlainedunconformablybytheMalhaFormation.
NaqusFormationattheSaintKatherineNewbieconsistsmainlyofathicksandstonesequencemeasuringabout
200m thick (Figure 18). Generally, the lower 30 m are white massive sandstone beds with minor ferruginous
clayeyandkaoliniticinterbeds.Therestofthesequenceisformedofcrossbeddedandvaricoloredsandstone
ranging in color from white to pale brownish and contains abundant quartz pebbles (Figure 18). It is almost
devoid of organic remnants. Termites (Awadh, 2010) could borrow and penetrate the sand glass giving the
appearancewhichiscalledMashrabiaorFenestrastructure(AbdelRahman,2002)asshowninFigure19.Fathi
2002studiedthephysicalandchemicalcharacteristicsofsilicasanddepositsofWadiWatirSinaiandcameto
theconclusionthatitissuitableforartanddomesticglassmanufacturewithsimplescreeningfortheremoval
ofcoarseandfinefractions.

19

www.mwejournal.orgJournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016

FIGURE18:COMPOSITELITHOSTRATIGRAPHICCOLUMNARSECTIONOFNAQUSFORMATIONINSAINTKATHERINENEWBIE
AREA(ABDELRAHMAN,2002).

FIGURE19:NAQUSFORMATIONATSAINTKATHERINENEWBIEAREASHOWINGMASHRABIA(FENESTRA)STRUCTURE.
ARROWSPOINTTOTHEREMNANTSOFTERMITETRENCHES(RAMADAN2014).

20

JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.org

TABLE6:LOCATIONSANDSPECIFICATIONSOFTHEMOSTIMPORTANTWHITESANDDEPOSITSINEGYPT.

Location

Reserves,
Mton

WadiElNatron

1.7

NewValley1

SiO2,%

Fe2O3,%

Al2O3,%

CaO+MgO,%

92.495.4

0.30.54

1.242.6

1.42.1

ND

93.996.0

0.281.02

0.012.01

0.61.2

NewValley2

ND

93.996.1

0.301.3

0.012.1

0.81.2

NorthFayoum

Unlimited

90.598.0

0.252.24

0.032.24

0.71

WesternDesert

EasternDesert0.86
WadiQena

258

94.8

0.33

4.0

WadiElDakhl

10

98.599.6

0.010.02

0.0360.19

0.030.2

EastEdfu

Unlimited

ND

ND

ND

ND

EastMaadi

Medium

95.097.0

0.270.42

0.61.44

0.120.2

0.030.07

0.231.43

0.221.07

Sinai
AbuElDarag

4.1

97.298.6

GabalElMenshereh

98.1

0.080.093

0.0260.32

0.060.28

WadiFilly

1.3

91.499.6

0.0270.26

0.0160.37

0.11.23

AbuZneima

1.25

97.599.7

0.011.34

0.211.35

0.0040.2

ElGunna

2,500

90.396.5

0.0260.08

1.856.0

0.010.35

WadiWatir

ND

ND

ND

ND

ND

KathrineNewbieRoad

ND

ND

ND

ND

ND

Ramadan (2014) studied the Physicochemical properties of the white sandstone deposits along the Nuweiba
Saint Katherine road,in Southern Sinai region for probableutilizationin industrialapplications suchassolar
cells,sheetglass,andoilproductionprocesses.Inhisstudy,Ramadanfoundthatthephysicalcharacteristicsof
thesesandsarefinetomediuminsize,wellsorted,andabout90%ofthegrainsfallintherangeof1.0mmto
0.125 mm. Mineralogically, the sandstones are quartz arenite (more than 85%). Chemically, the ranges of
compositionsare:from0.551.67%,Al2O3,from0.411.66%Fe2O3,andfrom91.1795.99%SiO2.Theauthorcame
totheconclusionthatthewhitesanddepositsofNuweibaSaintKatherineregionshowsthattheyareofwell
sortedgrainsizes,considerablepurity,withqualityrangescompatiblewithgrades(E,FandG)ontheBritish
Standard(Table1),andSerialNumbers(S/N)7to9accordingtoU.Sspecifications(Table2).
Theproductionandexportedglasssandsintheperiod2010to2013areshowninFigure20.Itisclearthatmost
of the produced white sand was exported in the year 2010/2011, whereas in the period 2011/2013, both the
produced and exported glass sands were significantly lower than before. This trend is probably due to local
reasons.

FIGURE20:THERATEOFPRODUCTIONANDEXPORTOFTHEWHITESANDSINEGYPTINTHEPERIOD2010TO2013(ZARAD,
2014).

21

www.mwejournal.orgJournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016

For economic reasons, more than 80% of the exported white sand is sold to Mediterranean and Middle East
countries.Thisismainlyduetotheeasytransportationbyseaatlowcost.Thisisunderstandablebecausethe
priceofthesandisrelativelylow.Figure21showsthemainimportingcountriesforthewhitesandfromEgypt,
and the percentages imported by each country. The countries importing the Egyptian white sand in the year
2012/2013,arrangedinadescendingorder,areTurkey(32%),Lebanon(22.8%),Italy(9.3%),UAE(8.9%),and
Greece(6.7%).

FIGURE21:THEMAINCOUNTRIESIMPORTEDTHEEGYPTIANWHITESANDSINTHEYEAR2012/2014(ZARAD,2014).

To meet the tight specifications of silica sands, the sand often has to be subjected to extensive physical and
chemical processing. This involves crushing, screening and further adjusting the grainsize distribution,
togetherwithremovingthecontaminatingimpuritiesinthebulkandfromthesurfaceoftheindividualquartz
grains. Sands used for manufacturing colorless glass are therefore likely to be processed further by certain
methodssuchasacidleaching,magneticseparation,frothflotation,and/orgravityseparation.
3)

Mining

Mining methods of industrial sands depend on the type of sand deposit. Unconsolidated deposits are mined
using frontend loaders, scrapers, or bulldozers. Material is dug, excavated, and then loaded onto trucks to
stockpiles or to the processing plant. Other unconsolidated deposits are mined with dredges or draglines. A
hydraulic dredge uses a suction pipe to excavate the sand, which is pumped to surge piles or directly to the
plant.Looselyconsolidatedmaterialcanbeminedusingahighpressurehydraulicmonitor.Sandwashedfrom
theworkingfaceiscollectedinasump,andthenpumpedtoadewatering/surgepile,andsenttotheplant.In
the case of wellconsolidated deposits, conventional drillandblast methods are used, where the sandstone is
mucked, haul, and transported to the crushing section of the processing plant. Due to the low price of the
sand,undergroundminingmayonlybeusedforextractingcompetent,welllithifiedsandstoneorquartziteby
usingconventionaldrillandblastmethods,thematerialisthenhauledorconveyedtotheprocessingplantor
surgepiles(Kogeletal.,2006).
In Egypt, surface mining is usually used for mining of silica sands as a result of the presence of little or no
overburden,about115m,inalmostallthewhitesanddeposits.TheoreisdrilledandblastedusingAnfoand
gelatin in the ratio of 3:1. The boreholes are drilled using pits of 3 inch diameter to a depth of 1012 meters,
filled with explosive mixture, stamped. About 100 bore holes are designed in a specific pattern, tied together
withcraftin,anddetonatedwithadetonatingcapsule.Thebrokenrockistransportedtoasizereductionand
screeningsection,tobepreparedforwashingandprocessing(Zarad,2014).
4)

Processing

Thetypeofprocessingorbeneficiationofsilicasandisdirectlyrelatedtotherelativenatureofthesanddeposit
and the purity of the required product. Regardless of markets, sands are, at a minimum, washed, dried, and
screened.Atypicalprocessingcircuitwouldincludewashingtoremoveclaysandotherdeleteriousmaterial.
Someprocessesmayrequirethatthematerialreporttoarodoraballmillforwetgrinding.Theslurryfromthe
washandmillcircuitispumpedtoadeslimingcircuitinwhichhydrocyclonesremovetheslimes.Thewashed
sandisthensubjectedtoacoarseseparationcutbyhydrosizingorwetscreening.Thesandisfurtherdewatered

22

JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.org

byreportingtosurgepilesorcyclones.Oncethesandcontainsapproximately70%solids,itreportstoattrition
scrubbingintanksequippedwithpropellertypeblades.Insomecases,thewaterisacidifiedwithaninorganic
acid.Attritionscrubbingremovesclays,ironoxides,andothermaterialsthatmaybeonthesurfaceofthesand
grains.Inaddition,attritionscrubbingcreatesafreshsurfaceonthequartzandnonquartzmineralstoenhance
reagentattachment,ifflotationistobeused.Flotation,cationicoranionic,isusedonlywhenhighpurityquartz
isrequiredforthemarket(Bayatetal.,2007).Oncewashingandflotation(ifrequired)iscompleted,thesandis
driedtomeetthemarketspecifications(Kogeletal.,20106;Sundararajanetal.,2009;AlMaghrabi,2004).Table
7presentstheironoxidecontentinsilicasandGradeIfromEuropeandUSAwhenpurifiedusinggravityand
magneticseparationtechniques(GWPConsultantsLLP,2010).
For the Egyptian white sands, usually, processing does not require complicated flowsheets. Basically only
washing and screening are carried out to remove coarse and fine fractions. For high purity sands, attrition
scrubbingwithacidifiedwaterremovesadheredfineclaysandironstains.Fortheremovalofheavyminerals,
low or high intensity magnetic separation, dry or wet, and /or flotation may be used (Zarad, 2014). For the
separation of kaolin as a byproduct in some ores, hydrocyclons are used efficiently to give a coarse sand
productandafinekaolinproduct.However,becauseflotationisanexpensiveprocess,itsusewilldependon
thepaybackfromthepurifiedproduct.
TABLE7:TYPICALRESULTSOFTHEGRAVITYANDMAGNETICSEPARATIONONSILICASANDSFROMEUROPEANDUSA.

Stageofprocessing

SilicaSandI(Europe)

SilicaSandI(USA)

Feed,Fe2O3%

0.085

0.089

Gravityspirals1pass,Fe2O3%

0.038

0.066

Gravityspirals2passes,Fe2O3%

0.033

0.049

Magneticseparationatleast2passes,Fe2O3%

0.014

0.039

SomeAcademicresearchworkwascarriedouttopurifytheEgyptianwhitesands.ElWekeilandGaafar(2014)
beneficiatedsilicasandfromElNaqusformationinWadiQena,EasternDesert.Theyusedattritionscrubbing
to loosen sands from kaolin and clean the sand surface from the contaminating elements such as iron,
chromium, and titanium using water acidified with 10 % HCl. The attritted sample was screened to remove
coarse grits (+2.0 mm). The 2 mm material was subjected to classification using different hydrocyclones to
separatethefeedintocoarsesandproduct,sandkaolinproduct,andwhitekaolinproduct.Forthefinefraction,
theauthorsusedamagneticfiltertoremovemagneticandparamagneticcontaminants.Forcleaningthecoarse
product,theyusedinducedrollmagneticseparatorandWilfleytabletoremoveheavyminerals.Theyobtained
quartz sand product containing 98.6 % SiO2 with less than 0.025 % Fe2 O3 and less than 0.045 % TiO2 after
attritionscrubbingandthefirststageofhydrocycloning.Inthesecondandthirdstagesofhydrocycloning,they
obtainedwhitekaolincontaining46.6%silicaand37.1%Al2O3representingabout11%ofthetotalfeed.They
alsocleanedtwosizefractionsofthesand:afinefraction,0.250.125mm,andaveryfinefraction,0.1250.063
mm. These fractions were treated by attrition scrubbing using acidified water containing 10 % HCl. The
scrubbed material was deslimed, washed and dried. The dried material wassubjected to sinkfloat test using
bromoform liquid (sp. gr. 2.85), where the sink fraction was collected, washed, dried and weighed. The float
fractions were collected, washed, dried, and passed through a magnetic filter to remove the coloring
contaminants.AbouElAnwar(2007)showedthatthebeneficiationofElMasaidsilicasands,WestofElArish,
Sinaicanbedonebywashingwithseawaterfollowedbyfreshwater.Thesandisthentreatedwithacidified
watercontaining10%HFor10%HClatroomtemperatureforlongtime.Hereportedthatthissandcanbe
furtherpurifiedbyflotationtoremovethedeterioratingmaterialsuchasiron,manganeseandheavyminerals.
Healsostatedthatwashingthesandwithwatercontaining10%HClpriortoflotationimprovedtheproduct.
Hagras(2013)showedthatgravityseparationissuitableforpurifyingsilicasandsasaresultoftheremovalof
heavyminerals.Ibrahimetal.2013)purifiedawhitesandsamplefromAbuZeneimaarea,Sinai.Theoriginal
samplecontained99.44SiO2,0.046%Fe2O3,0.044%Al2O3,0.03%TiO2,0.11%MnO,and0.02MgO.Bydry
screening,theyremovedthe+0.6mmandthe0.106mmfractions.Thesizedfractionwassubjectedtoattrition
scrubbing, deslimed andwashed with water. Theattritted material was treated on Wilfleytable. Theauthors
reported that screening the sample reduced the iron oxide content down to 0.04 %, attrition scrubbing and

23

www.mwejournal.orgJournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016

desliming reduced theiron oxide content to 0.025 %, and tablingreduced it to 0.02%. Thefinal sand product
contained0.018%Fe2O3and0.09%Al2O3.OfcoursetheauthorsdidnotreporttheSiO2percentinthefinal
product,becauseitwillnotdiffermuchfromitspercentageinthefeed.
Summary
White sands in all its forms: quartz, sandstone, and silica sand are essential commodities for various high
technology industries. Electronicgrade quartz is used in accurate filters, frequency controls, and timers in
electroniccircuits.Thesedevicesareusedforavarietyofelectronicapplicationsinaerospacehardware,military
navigationinstruments,communicationsequipment,andcomputers.
White sand is the final product of rock weathering of any quartzbearing rock which creates sand: igneous,
sedimentary, or metamorphic (Shaffer, 2006). It is called industrial silica sand, and defined by the BGS as sand
used for applications other than construction aggregates and which are valued for their physical and chemical
properties. It is used for glassmaking, water filtration, foundry industries, manufacture of electronic chips and
wafers,grouts,paints,andfillersforplastics,polymers,rubberandotherapplications.
In Egypt, there are a large number of highquality quartz deposits. All of them are spread in the Eastern Desert
alongtheRedSeaCoast.Theirmodesofoccurrenceareasquartzcapsofplutonsformedasaresultofmagmatic
differentiation and after granitic pluton cooled and solidified. Quartz veins were formed from the residual
solutionsafterformingthecaps,andthesesolutionspenetratedthroughthecracksandalongfissurestoformveins
and/orlensoidalbodies.Quartziteispresentinbothsedimentaryandmetamorphicrocks.Itisoriginatedfromthe
metamorphismofsandstone.ThequartsreservesinEgyptexceed20milliontonsinmorethan30localities.
The white sands in Egypt exist in Sinai, North part of Eastern Desert, and in the Western Desert. The most
importantsandstonedepositsinEgypt,quantityandquality,areinWadiQenaintheEasternDesertandGebelEl
Gunna in Sinai. The white sand in Wadi Qena constitutes most of the early lower Paleozoic Naqus Formation,
NorthEastofQena.TheNorthernpartofWadiQenaconsistsoftheexposedlowerPaleozoicrockunitswhichare
represented by Araba and Naqus Formation. At the Saint KatherineNeuwiba, the Naqus Formation consists
mainly of a thick sandstone sequence. Generally, the lower 30 m are white massive sandstone beds with minor
ferruginousclayeyandkaoliniticinterbeds.GebelElGunnahhasthelargestsandstonereservesinSinai.Thereare
morethan3billiontonsofhighqualitysilicasandsinmorethan16localitiesinEgypt.
Miningofunconsolidatedsanddepositsisdonebyusingfrontendloaders,scrapers,orbulldozers.Materialisdug,
excavatedandtheloadedintotruckstotheprocessingplant.Insomecaseshydraulicdredgeswithasuctionpump
excavatethesandandpumpthematerialtotheplant.Inthecaseofwellconsolidateddeposits,conventionaldrill
and blast methods are used, where the stone is mucked, hauled, and transported to the crushing section in the
processingplant.
InEgypt,surfaceminingtechniqueisusedforminingsilicasand.TheoreisdrilledandblastedusingAnfoand
gelatinforblasting.Benchheightisaround1012m.Thebrokenrocktransportedtoasizereductionandscreening
sectiontobepreparedforwashingandprocessing.
Theappliedmineralprocessingunitsarearrangedinsimpleflowsheets.Theyconsistofscreening,washing,and
classification.Sometimestheclassifiedproductisleachedusingdilutedinorganicacids.Mostoftheworkingsites
useseawaterfollowedbyfreshwaterduetothescarcityofthefreshwaterintheseareas.Insomesites,magnetic
separationisused.Academicresearchworkinvestigatedtheuseofgravityseparationand/orfrothflotation.The
grade of the final sand product depends on the purity of the feed and the mineral processing steps taken for
cleaningtheore.
REFERENCES

[1]

AlMaghrabi,MN,2004,ImprovementoflowgradesilicasanddepositsinJeddahArea,KingdomofSaudiArabia,JKAu.
Eng.Sci.,15(2),pp.113128.

24

JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.org

[2]

Abdallah, A.M.; Darwish, M.; ElAref, M. and Helba, A. A., 1992. Lithostratigraphy of the Pre Cenomanianclastics of
northWadiQena,EasternDesert,Egypt,In:Sadek,A.(Ed.),ProceedingoftheFirstIntern.ConferenceonGeologyofthe
ArabWorld,CairoUniversity,pp:255282.

[3]

Abou ElAnwar E. A., 2007, Beneficiation of ElMasaid silica sand for glass industry, West of ElArish, Sinai, 7.73,
NationalResearchCenter,Egypt.

[4]

AbouElAnwar,E.A.,andElWekeil,S.S.,2013,ContributiontotheprovenanceandpaleoclimateoftheLowerPaleozoic
sandstones of Naqus Formation, Wadi Qena, Northern Eastern Desert; Integration of support petrography, mineralogy
andgeochemistry,J.App.Sci.Res.,9(10):65296546.

[5]

AbdelRahman,I.F.,2002,Physicalandchemicalcharacteristicsofsilicasanddeposits(whitesand)ofWadiWatirregion,
Sinai,Egypt.ActaMineralogicalPetrographia,Szegel,43,7983.

[6]

Awadh, S.M., 2010, Geochemistry of Termite Hills as a Tool for Geochemical Exploration of Glass Sand in the Iraqi
WesternDesert.InternationalJournalofGeosciences,1:130138.

[7]

Ariffin,K.S.,2004,Whatissilica.MineralPerindustrian,EBS425,pp.17.

[8]

Bandel,k.;Kuss,J.andMalchus,N.,1987,ThesedimentsofWadiQena,EasternDesert,Egypt.JournalofAfricanEarth
Sciences,.6(4):427455.

[9]

Barrett,EandBaskeen,L,1986,LetsLookatSand,TheMineralIndustryManpowerandCareersUnit.

[10] Bayat, O.; Vapur, H. and Arslan, V. I., 2007, Upgrading Silica / Glass Sand Concentrate Applying Cationic Flotation.
AsianJournalofChemistry,19(3):16871692.
[11] BGS,2009,Silicasand.NaturalEnvironmentResearchCouncil,MineralPlanningFactsheet,10pages.
[12] Blatt,H.,Middleton,S.,andMurray,R.,1980,OriginofSedimentaryRocks,2ndedition.,PrenticeHall,EnglewoodCliffs,
NJ.
[13] BritishStandardInstitution,1988,Specificationforsandformakingcolorlessglasses.BS:2975,UK.
[14] Carver, D., 1971. Heavy mineral separation: p. 427 452 in Carver, R.E (ed.), Procedures in sedimentary in petrology.
WileyInterscience,NewYork,pp:653.
[15] Dolley,T.P.,2004,Silica.USGS,66.1pages.
[16] Dolley,T.P.,2013,Silica.USGS.
[17] ElBokle,F.M.andHassanein,I.M.,1993.SedimentologicalstudyandindustrialprospectofthePaleozoicsanddepositsat
southwestSinai,Egypt,AlAzharBull.Sci.,4(1):pp.135152.
[18] ElFawal,F.M.,1994,AbuThoraFormation,westcentralSinai,faciesanalysisanddepositionalenvironment.Egyptian
JournalofEgypt,pp:3843.
[19] ElWekeil,S.S.,andGaafar,F.Sh.,2014,CharacterizationandeconomicpotentialofthewhitesandstoneoftheNaqus
FormationinWadiQena,NorthernEasternDesert,Egypt.MiddleEastJournalofAppliedSciences,4(2),pp.392408.
[20] EzzElDin.M.A.2007:Studies0ntechnicalqualificationsofsomequartzdepositsintheEasternDesert,Egypt.Ph.D.Thesis.
AlAzharUniversity,160 P.
[21] Fathi, I., 2002,Physical andChemical characteristicsof Silicasand deposits (white sand) of Wadi Watir Region, Sinai.
ActaMineralogicaPetrographica,43:7983.
[22] GWPConsultant,2010,AstudyofsilicasandqualityandusesinSurreyandKent.FinalforKentandSurreyCounty
Councils.March2010.
[23] Hassan, A.A., 1967, A New Carboniferous Occurrence in Abu Durba, Sinai, Egypt. Proceedings of the 6th Arab
PetroleumCon.,Baghdad,2:8.
[24] Hagrass,Q.,2013,Gravityseparationofsilicasandsforvalueaddition.ParticulateScienceandTechnology,31,pp.590
595.
[25] Ibrahim,S.S.;Selim,A.Q.;Hagrass,A.A.,2013,Gravityseparationofsilicasandsforvalueaddition.ParticulateScience
andTechnology31,590595.

25

www.mwejournal.orgJournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016

[26] Issawi, B. and Jux, V., 1982, Contributions to the stratigraphy of the Paleozoic rocks in Egypt. Egyptian Geological
Survey,64,82.
[27] Issawi, B., ElHinnawi, M.; Francis, M.; and Mazher, A., 1999, The Phanerozoic geology of Egypt, A geodynamic
approach.Geol.Surv.Egypt,SpecialPublication,76:462.
[28] Kamel,O.A.;AbdouSoliman,F.H.;AbdElMaaboud,M.H.,1997,SinaiCarboniferouswhitesands:theirheavymineral
assemblages,fabric,geochemistry,andsuitabilityforglassindustry.3rdconferenceongeochemistry,Alexandria,Egypt.
[29] Khalid,A.M.,1993,GeologyandgeochemistryofNuweibaarea,SouthSinai,Egypt.Ph.D.Thesis.SuezCanalUniversity,
Ismailia,Egypt.
[30] Khalid, A.M.; Greiling, O.R.; Said, M.M.; Megahed, A.; Shaaban, G.M.; Micheal, M., 2002, South Western Desert BIF,
LaboratoryStudiesandGoldExtractionTests.AnnalofGeologicalSurveyofEgypt,Vol.25,2002,pp.315332.
[31] Khattab,M.;Greiling,O.R.;Khalid,A.M.;Said,M.M;Kontany,A.;AbuSalem,A.,2002,UwaynatBandedIronFormation
(S.W.Egypt)DistributionandRelatedGoldMineralization.AnnalsoftheGeologicalSurveyofEgypt,Vol.25,2002,pp.
343364.
[32] Kogel,J.E.;Trivedi,N.C.;Barker,J.M.;Krukowski,S.T.,2006,IndustrialMineralsandRocks,Commodities,Markets,and
Uses,SME,2006,pp.825826.
[33] Klitzsch,E.,G.;andHermannDegen,W.,1990,WadiQena:PaleozoicandPreCampanianCretaceous.TheGeologyof
Egypt,2ndedition(Said,Editor),A.A.Balkema,Rotterdam,Brookfield,pp:321327.
[34] Krinsley, D.H., and Doornkamp, J. C., 1973, Atlas of Quartz Sand Surface Textures, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge,91pages.
[35] Madanat, M.; Mehyar, N. and Zurquiah, N. A., 2006, Silica Sand: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Natural Resources
Authority.EditedbyJuliaSahawnehandMarwanMadanat,pp:116.
[36] Madhavaraju, J.; GarcayBarragn, J. C.; Hussain, S. M. and Mohan, S. P., 2009, Microtextures on quartz grains in the
beachsedimentsofPuertoPeascoandBahiaKino,GulfofCalifornia,Sonora,Mexico.Rev.Mex.Cienc.Geol.,26(2):367
379.
[37] Moldenke,R.,(1930),ThePrinciplesofIronFounding.2ndEd,NewYork,McGrawHill,654pages.
[38] Mustafa,A.M.K;Bader,N.D.;Khachiek,T.V.;Fleah,I.K.;Issa,I.G.,2011,Biobeneficationofsilicasandforcrystalglass
industryfromArdhumalocation,IraqiWesternDesert.IraqiBulletinofGeologyandMining,7(1):7786.
[39] Naim,G.,Khalid,A.M.;Said,M;Shaaban,G.M.;Hussein,A.;andElKady,M.,1998,BandedIronFormationDiscoveryat
WestGabalKamelandItsGoldPotentiality,WesternDesert,AnnalsoftheGeologicalSurveyofEgypt,Vol.21,1998,pp.
303330.
[40] Norton,F.H.,1957.ElementsofCeramics.AddisionWesleyPublishingCo.Inc.Reading,Massachusetts.
[41] Omara,S.,1972,AnearlyCambrianoutcropinSouthwesternSinai,Egypt,N.Jb.Geol.Palaeontol.,5,pp.306314
[42] OmayraBermdezLugo,2002,TheMineralIndustryofEgypt,CommodityReview,U.S.GeologicalSurvey.
[43] Platias,S;Vatalis,K.I.;Charalampides,G.,2014,ProcediaEconomicsandFinance,14,491498.
[44] Ramadan, F.S., 2014, Characteristics of White Sand Deposits in Southern Sinai Region, Egypt. Middle East Journal of
AppliedSciences,4(1):110.
[45] Said,R.,1971,ExplanatorynotestoaccompanythegeologicalmapofEgypt.Geol.Surv.,Egypt,(56):123.Said,R.,1990.
TheGeologyofEgypt,Balkema,pp:734.
[46] Shaffer,N.R.,2006,Thetimeofsans:quartzrichsanddepositsasarenewableresource.UniversityofIdaho,122.
[47] Sundararajan, M; Ramaswamy, S; Raghavan, p., 2009, Evaluation for the beneficiability of white sands from the
overburdenofligniteminesituatedinRajpardidistrictofGujarat,India.JournalofMinerals&MaterialsCharacterization
&Engineering,Vol.8,No.9,pp701713.
[48] Wanas, H. A., 2011, The Lower Paleozoic rock units in Egypt: An overview. China Univ. of Geosciences (Beijing),
GeosciencesFrontiers,2(4):491507.

26

JournalofMiningWorldExpress(MWE)Volume5,2016www.mwejournal.org

[49] Weissbrod,T.,2004,AreassessmentoftheNaqusFormationinSinaiandtheEasternDesertofEgypt:Stratigraphicand
tectonicaspects.
[50] Wills,B.A.,2006,MineralprocessingTechnology,ButterworthHeinemann,Amsterdam.
[51] Zarad,S.F.M.,2014,MineralResourcesinEgyptMining,QuarryingandSaltOres.,TheEgyptianMineralResources
Authority(EMRA),2014,pp.264288.

27