Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.1
2.2
Journals
Minerals
Special Issues
Physicochemical Properties and Purification of Quartz Minerals
share announcement

Physicochemical Properties and Purification of Quartz Minerals

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystallography and Physical Chemistry of Minerals & Nanominerals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 5165

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiaoyong Yang

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Interests: mineral deposits; application of high-purity quartz
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mei Xia

E-Mail
Guest Editor
CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Interests: mineralogy; refining high-purity quartz
Dr. Jianguo Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Zhengzhou Institute of Multipurpose Utilization of Mineral Resources, CAGS, Zhengzhou 450006, China
Interests: mineral materials; application of high-purity quartz

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

High-purity quartz is closely related to the new generation of information technology, new material industry, new energy, and other fields in strategic emerging industries, and it is an important supporting material in strategic emerging industries. At the same time, high-purity quartz raw material is a strategic nonmetallic mineral resource which is scarce in the world, and there is a shortage in China. With the rapid development of semiconductor, optical communication, photovoltaic, and other industries, the demand for high-purity quartz is growing rapidly, and the price of high-purity quartz sand is also rising. Previous studies mainly focused on the methods used for the purification of high-purity quartz sand, whereas there is less research into the mineral exploration of high-purity quartz raw. In the study of high-purity quartz sand purification technology, raw material evaluation and selection technology are the basis and premise of high-purity quartz purification technology, and this is a technical bottleneck that must be broken through in the development of high-purity quartz technology in our country. It is of great economic significance to search for high-purity quartz raw material deposits with good ore quality, stable quality, and large ore body size.

At present, the silica raw material resources of 4N8 (99.998%) grade and above are almost all from the United States, Norway, India, and a few other countries; quartz resources are rarely found in other regions of the World. It is of great significance to carry out research on mineral exploration technology and methods of obtaining high-purity quartz raw materials to realize the breakthrough of mineral exploration and submission of resource reserves for ensuring the security of strategic resources for the development of high-purity quartz. In the development of high-purity quartz resources, the priority is to develop ore resources, often including granitic pegmatite (such as the granitic pegmatite in the Spruce Pine mountain of the US) and quartz vein (e.g., the metamorphic quartz vein in Norway). Aiming to obtain different types of quartz resources in nature, we aim for this Special Issue to collate experimental studies on the mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry of high-purity quartz, quartz minerals, and host rocks. Based on detailed studies of the different occurrences of quartz and geological bodies, the purified properties of quartz in different occurrences of geological bodies will be evaluated through purification experiments of quartz. We hope that this Special Issue lays a theoretical and experimental foundation for finding and developing high-purity quartz.

Prof. Dr. Xiaoyong Yang
Dr. Mei Xia
Dr. Jianguo Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • high-purity quartz
  • silica resources
  • theoretical and experimental studies
  • mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry
  • different occurrences of geological bodies
  • granitic pegmatite

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 24243 KiB  
Article
Water Redistribution in Vein Quartz Under Progressive Deformation (During Plastic Deformation): μFTIR and EBSD Study (Western Transbaikalia, Russia)
by Elvira N. Kungulova, Artem A. Bibko, Roman Y. Shendrik, Evgeny N. Moskvichev, Dmitry V. Lychagin and Platon A. Tishin
Minerals 2024, 14(12), 1289; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14121289 - 19 Dec 2024
Viewed by 298
Abstract
Water distribution in the structure of vein quartz formed as a result of successive plastic deformations associated with dislocation slip and subsequent recrystallization was estimated using infrared microspectroscopic (μFTIR) mapping. Water contained in quartz demonstrates a broad absorption band in the IR range [...] Read more.
Water distribution in the structure of vein quartz formed as a result of successive plastic deformations associated with dislocation slip and subsequent recrystallization was estimated using infrared microspectroscopic (μFTIR) mapping. Water contained in quartz demonstrates a broad absorption band in the IR range at 2800–3750 cm−1, which indicates its molecular state and suggests the presence of water bearing water inclusions. In addition to water, the presence of an absorption band located at 2341 cm−1 seems to be due to the presence of carbon dioxide in a molecular state. A necessary step before assessing the distribution of volatile components in the quartz structure was to calibrate the boundaries obtained by calculating the intensity ratios of the peaks at 1118 and 1160 cm−1 in the reflectance spectrum and using electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD). A variety of fluid distributions in different elements of the structure was observed. At medium temperatures and medium strain rates, dislocation mass transfer is effective during dislocation slip. At low strain rates and elevated temperatures, the contribution of diffusion creep gradually increases, which facilitates the interaction of volatile components with migrating boundaries. It was found that in the process of successive rearrangements, migration of fluid components occurs within the main elements of the structure due to the redistribution of dislocations between defects of different scale levels. Redistribution of fluid from fluid inclusions as a result of plastic deformations in the quartz structure is one of the ways of relaxing intracrystalline stresses during strengthening of the structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemical Properties and Purification of Quartz Minerals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 7331 KiB  
Article
Purification of Vein Quartz Using a New Fluorine-Free Flotation: A Case from Southern Anhui Province, China
by Shuhua Du, Banglong Pan, Liang Xia, Guoqing Zhu, Lei Wu, Changjun Yu, Fan Li and Zhuo Diao
Minerals 2024, 14(12), 1191; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14121191 - 23 Nov 2024
Viewed by 486
Abstract
High-purity quartz is an emerging strategic material that has been extensively used in the semiconductor and photovoltaic fields. Taking vein quartz from southern Anhui Province as an example, raw materials were processed by ultrasonic scrubbing-desliming, magnetic separation, flotation, high-temperature calcination, water quenching, hot-press [...] Read more.
High-purity quartz is an emerging strategic material that has been extensively used in the semiconductor and photovoltaic fields. Taking vein quartz from southern Anhui Province as an example, raw materials were processed by ultrasonic scrubbing-desliming, magnetic separation, flotation, high-temperature calcination, water quenching, hot-press acid leaching, and deionized water cleaning to prepare high-purity quartz sand. At the same time, the microscopic structure, inclusions, phase, mineral morphology, water content in inclusions, and trace impurities of the gangue samples were analyzed using an optical microscope, a laser Raman spectrometer, an X-ray diffractometer, a scanning electron microscope, an infrared spectrum analyzer, and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The results showed that feldspar and muscovite were the main impurities. After purification, the total amount of 13 impurities in quartz sand was reduced to 28.66 μg/g, and the contents of the main impurity elements Al, Na, and Fe were 12.81 μg/g, 12.80 μg/g, and 0.52 μg/g, respectively. The mass fraction of SiO2 increased from 99.06% to 99.9972%. This shows that flotation, high-temperature calcination, and hot-pressing acid leaching are the keys to obtaining high-purity quartz sand. Fluoride-free flotation with the new collector XK02 can effectively realize the deep separation of quartz and mineral impurities. High-temperature calcination can form more cracks on the surface of quartz sand particles, and the mixed acid enters the open crack channels to effectively remove impurities from the inclusions. This method provides technical support for the preparation of high-purity quartz sand with high value and for the efficient utilization of quartz ore. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemical Properties and Purification of Quartz Minerals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 4109 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Beneficiation Studies of Quartz Samples from the Northwest Territories, Canada
by Hanyu Zhang, Gideon Lambiv Dzemua and Qi Liu
Minerals 2024, 14(11), 1177; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14111177 - 20 Nov 2024
Viewed by 501
Abstract
Three quartz-rich geologic materials—vein quartz from the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, massive quartz from the Nechalacho rare earth deposit, and quartz sands from the Chedabucto silica sand deposit along the shores of the Northern Arm of the Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories of [...] Read more.
Three quartz-rich geologic materials—vein quartz from the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, massive quartz from the Nechalacho rare earth deposit, and quartz sands from the Chedabucto silica sand deposit along the shores of the Northern Arm of the Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories of Canada—were evaluated for their amenability to physical beneficiation into high-purity quartz (HPQ). The samples were subjected to various treatment processes, including crushing, grinding, calcining and quenching, acid leaching, wet high-intensity magnetic separation (WHIMS), and reverse flotation. After treatment, both the core and sand quartz samples met the requirements for HPQ, making them suitable for use in the production of semiconductor filters, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and optical glass. However, the Al-bearing impurity content in the vein quartz products remained relatively high, and most of these impurities were dispersed in the quartz lattice, requiring further processing to meet the purity standards for HPQ required by these industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemical Properties and Purification of Quartz Minerals)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

18 pages, 15188 KiB  
Article
Research on 4N8 High-Purity Quartz Purification Technology Prepared Using Vein Quartz from Pakistan
by Yutian Xie, Mei Xia, Xiaoyong Yang, Ibrar Khan and Zhenhui Hou
Minerals 2024, 14(10), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14101049 - 19 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1134
Abstract
This study investigates the potential of two quartz vein ores from the Hunza District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, as raw materials to obtain 4N8 high-purity quartz (HPQ) sand. Various quartz purification processes were examined, including ore calcination, water quenching, flotation, sand calcination, acid leaching, and [...] Read more.
This study investigates the potential of two quartz vein ores from the Hunza District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, as raw materials to obtain 4N8 high-purity quartz (HPQ) sand. Various quartz purification processes were examined, including ore calcination, water quenching, flotation, sand calcination, acid leaching, and chlorination roasting. Analytical techniques such as optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy were employed to analyze the microstructure, inclusion characteristics, and chemical composition of both the quartz raw ore and the processed quartz sand. Microscopic observation reveals that the PK-AML quartz raw ore has relatively high purity, the secondary fluid inclusions are arranged in a directional–linear manner or developed along crystal micro-cracks, and most intracrystalline regions exhibit low inclusion contents, while the PK-JTLT quartz raw ore contains a certain number of melt inclusions. The two processed quartz sand samples exhibit a smooth surface with extremely low fluid inclusion content. A comparative analysis of different purification processes shows that quartz sand calcination has a higher impurity removal rate than ore calcination. After crushing the raw ore into sand, the particles become finer with a larger specific surface area. Quartz sand calcination maximally exposes the inclusions and lattice impurity elements within the quartz, facilitating subsequent impurity removal through acid leaching. Following the processes of crushing, ultrasonic desliming, flotation, sand calcination, water quenching, acid leaching, and chlorination roasting, the SiO2 content of PK-AML processed quartz sand is 99.998 wt.%, with only a small amount of Ti and Li remaining, and a total impurity element content of 20.83 µg·g−1. This meets the standard requirements for crucible preparation in industrial applications, making this vein quartz suitable for producing high-end HPQ products. In contrast, the overall purity of PK-JTLT quartz is lower, and the high contents of impurity elements such as Li, Al, and Ti are difficult to remove via purification experiments. The SiO2 content of PK-JTLT processed quartz sand is 99.991 wt.%, which is applied to higher-quality glass products such as photovoltaic glass, electronic glass, and optical glass, thus presenting broad prospects for application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemical Properties and Purification of Quartz Minerals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 12914 KiB  
Article
Preparation of High-Purity Quartz Sand by Vein Quartz Purification and Characteristics: A Case Study of Pakistan Vein Quartz
by Mei Xia, Xiaoyong Yang and Zhenhui Hou
Minerals 2024, 14(7), 727; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14070727 - 19 Jul 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2090
Abstract
This study focuses on the purification and evaluation of the high-purity quartz (HPQ) potential of vein quartz ore from Pakistan. Vein quartz is grayish-white and translucent, with its mineral composition mainly comprising quartz crystal. Processed quartz sand is obtained from quartz raw ore [...] Read more.
This study focuses on the purification and evaluation of the high-purity quartz (HPQ) potential of vein quartz ore from Pakistan. Vein quartz is grayish-white and translucent, with its mineral composition mainly comprising quartz crystal. Processed quartz sand is obtained from quartz raw ore through purifying technologies, including crushing, ultrasonic desliming, flotation, high-temperature calcination, water quenching, hot pressure acid leaching, and chlorination roasting. The microscopic characteristics show that the vein quartz raw ore has a medium-coarse granular metacrystalline structure, high quartz content, with only a small quantity of fine-grained K-feldspar. The inclusions primarily consist of large-sized primary inclusions and secondary fluid inclusions developed along the micro-fractures, and the content of inclusions in most areas of the crystal is very low or even nonexistent. The quartz ore with such inclusion characteristics is considered a relatively good raw material for quartz. Component analysis shows that the main impurity elements in the quartz ore are Al, K, Ca, Na, Ti, Fe, and Li, with a total impurity element content of 128.86 µg·g−1. After purification, only lattice impurity elements Al, Ti, and Li remain in the processed quartz sand, resulting in a total impurity element content of 24.23 µg·g−1, an impurity removal rate of 81.20%, and the purity of SiO2 reaching 99.998 wt.%. It is suggested that when the quartz raw ore contains high content of lattice impurity elements, such as Al, Li, and Ti, it is difficult to remove them by the current purification method. In industrial production, considering the economic cost, if quartz sand still contains high content of lattice impurity elements Al, Ti, and Li after flotation, it cannot be used as a raw material for high-end HPQ. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemical Properties and Purification of Quartz Minerals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Preliminary Beneficiation Studies of Quartz Samples from the Northwest Territories, Canada
Authors: Hanyu Zhang; Gideon Lambiv Dzemua; Qi Liu
Affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Abstract: Three quartz-rich geologic material —vein quartz from the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, massive quartz from the Nechalacho rare earth deposit, and quartz sand from the Chedabucto silica sand deposit along the shores of the Northern Arm of the Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories of Canada were evaluated for their amenability to physical beneficiation into high purity quartz (HPQ). The samples were subjected to various treatment processes, including crushing, grinding, calcining and quenching, acid leaching, wet high-intensity magnetic separation (WHIMS), and reverse flotation. After treatment, the quartz core and quartz sand samples met the requirements for HPQ, making them suitable for the use in the production of semiconductor filters, LCDs, and optical glass. However, the Al-bearing impurities content in the quartz vein products remained relatively high. Scanning electron microscopic and electron probe microanalysis showed that most of the aluminum was dispersed in the quartz lattice, requiring further processing to meet the purity standards for HPQ required by these industries.

Back to TopTop