
Silica sand is commonly used as a mineral abrasive for industrial blasting. For turf fields, silica sand is used as the main structural component of an uncontaminated filtration media. It’s also used to maintain greens and fairways because of its ability to support drainage and natural plant growth.
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Those sand traps you find yourself stuck in way too often when you’re playing eighteen are usually full of silica sand. Silica sand is used for bunkers and greens on golf courses, as well as for natural and synthetic sports fields. Here are seven common uses for silica sand in 2019: 1.

These characteristics can differ depending on how the mineral is processed after it is mined. How silica sand is used depends on physical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics such as grain size, shape, colour, structure, and distribution, as well as refractoriness, strength and stability. Silica sand is a commercial and consumer product that is widely available throughout North America. There are a number of different uses for silica sand in the industrial and commercial sectors, from golf courses to glassmaking. Image Source What Is Silica Sand Used For? The color for non-silica sands (regular sands) can be various shades white, pink, green, and black as well – depending on the geological makeup and geographic location of the sand deposit. These ‘impurities’ make regular sand more chemically reactive and often darker in colour when compared to silica sand. For example, typical brown sand used for concrete applications can contain up to 80% SiO2, along with varying amounts of iron, carbonate, potassium, and other trace elements/minerals. Regular sand, also known as feldspathic sand, brown sand, or construction sand, will always contain some silica, but only in amounts less than 95%. How Silica Sand Is Different From Regular Sand If the sand does not meet this criteria, it will qualify as what’s often called ‘regular’ sand.

In order to be considered a silica sand the material must contain at least 95% SiO2 and less than 0.6% iron oxide. The colour of each sand deposit depends largely on the variety of minerals and rock detritus that make up the resource.

SiO2 grades at a 7 out of 10 on Mohs hardness scale, making it ideal for use as filtration media and abrasive blasting sands.Īlthough quartz is often white or colourless, it can come in a wide range of shades. The most common form of SiO2 is quartz – a chemically inert and relatively hard mineral. Specifically, silica sand is made up of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Silica sand, also known as quartz sand, white sand, or industrial sand, is made up of two main elements: silica and oxygen.
