What is Zircon Sand?

Zircon sand is a sand with high zirconium silicate content which is a mineral that occurs in nature as ZrSiO4. Zircon refers to a colorful, lustrous, and rather hard mineral that is common in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks in many localities of the world. Zircon sand is extracted from natural zircon ores and is often thermally treated and size classified to produce zircon sand grains of a range of sizes and colours for use in various industrial and commercial operations.

Characteristics of Zircon Sand

Zircon sand has several unique physical and chemical characteristics that make it highly useful across a wide range of industrial applications:Zircon sand has several unique physical and chemical characteristics that make it highly useful across a wide range of industrial applications:

• Hardness: zircon sand is harder than most other sands having a mohs hardness value of 7-7. 5, thereby making it much more resistant to abrasion than quartz sand. This hardness results into enhanced crush and wear characteristics of the metallic coatings.
• Resistance: zircon is chemically inert and does not dissolve or corrode easily in any corrosive agent including the harsh environments of high temperatures and pressures. Compared to other polymers it does not easily degrade or wear out under high friction as well as abrasion.
• Density: The physical properties of zircon sand also include relatively high density at between 4. 6 to 4. 7 g/cm3 as compared to other sand at about 2. 6 g/cm3. The high density makes it rather heavy and rigid, which is beneficial in applications that require such properties.
• Thermal properties: zircon sand has features: low coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal stability and high degree of heat resistance up to 1650°C.
• Cleanness and purity: zircon sand contains little matrix inclusions because the grains originated from igneous rocks. It can also be subjected to even higher levels of processing to produce some of the purest zirconium silicate sands for specific high-tech applications.

Application of Zircon Sand

This unique combination of physical and chemical properties results in zircon sand being highly valued for the following industrial applications:This unique combination of physical and chemical properties results in zircon sand being highly valued for the following industrial applications:

1. Foundry Castings: Zircon sand plays a significant roll in casting of ferrous and non-ferrous metals on account of enhancement of casting fluidity, strength, smooth finish and resistance to corrosion. It has the characteristic of producing a very good bond with casting molding boxes and patterns through the use of zircon sand.
2. Refractories: Fire clay refractories have low strength and high permeability while zircon based refractories have attained very high strength and lower permeability and corrosion resistance at much higher temperature than fire clay refractories. Zircon sand enhances the refractory’s ability to resist the wearing effects of molten metals, heat insulation property and overall sturdiness.
3. Ceramics: Zircon-oxide is used in the manufacturing of many of the modern technical ceramics like ceramic disks and plates in automobiles etc, glazing materials and in medical implants. Zircon sand is also used directly in the ceramic body as well as the glaze.
4. Friction and Abrasives: This is because zircon sand has a high abrasiveness, hardness, and toughness suitable for use in applications that require high frictional forces such as grinding wheels, sandpaper and abrasive coatings. Zircon’s abrasives are sharper than any other abrasives and only need to be replaced after long intervals.
5. Chemicals and Plastics: Zirconates and zirconia compounds are employed in the creation of adhesive, insulating materials, fire-resistant products, coloring agents and stabilizers and electronic goods. Catalytic uses: Zirconium complexes are also employed as polymerization initiators.
6. Water Filtration: Zirconium silicate sand has developed multifunctional quality to filter out the partides, bacteria, parasites and heavy metals in drinking water, wastewater and aquaculture.
7. Some of the other special purpose applications include drilling equipment for oil and natural gas industry, instrumentation and electrical parts, high stress and high temperature gasketing for chemical and process industries, aerospace and defense applications.

Supply, Reserve and Price Determinants of World Production

Australia owns the biggest zircon resources globally and is also the largest supplier of zircon sand with a market share of 36. 5%. Other major producers of aluminium ore include South Africa Accounting for 31% of the total followed by Mozambique, India and Vietnam. The following are some of the aluminium production factors that are essential to be noted: The U. S. has no domestic production of zircon products and depends on imported zircon products. Worldwide manufacture is at about 1. 5 million tonnes every year.

Australia is seen as being at the top of the league with estimated reserves of about 50 million tonnes. Assuming that the identified resources will be successfully explored and developed it can be stated that they can ensure further high level of zircon sand production for many years to come. It has increased over the years at 5% per annum and it is expected to grow more through growth segments such as ceramics and refractories.

From the year 2005 to 2012, the prices for carbon increased to the highest level of US $2,800 per tonne. However, prices have significantly reduced to more than half the value at that time because of market impediments and the availability of more supply, and the current market price for the year 2021 is around $1,200 to $1,250 per tonne. Future price of zircon will depend on the demand expansion primarily in the ceramic industry and other downstream markets, and secondly by increase in consolidation and supply restraint by the major players in the industry.

Conclusion

Zircon sand is regarded as one of the essential industrial minerals that is likely to see its uses continue to grow. The hardness, density, heat resistance, and chemical inerancy of this material make it ideal for uses in foundries, refractory items, ceramics and abrasives, as well as for numerous other special functions. Prices and mining techniques will change in the future but the global reserve for zircon is large and can sustain the industry importance of zircon. These key applications are also expected to expand further, enhancing the global zircon sand market even more.