Glass-grade Silica Sand Processing Line

PROCESS DESCRIPTION

01

Crushing & Grinding

Based on the particle size, hardness and impurity profile of the ROM ore, we configure 1–3‑stage crushing circuits to progressively reduce feed size. Vibrating feeders deliver large‑sized raw ore at a controlled rate into a jaw crusher for primary size reduction. The crushed material then flows through two‑stage cone crushing for intermediate and fine crushing, further narrowing the particle size distribution. The sized crushed product is then fed to a ball mill for wet grinding to reach target liberation size. A closed‑circuit screen installed downstream of the ball mill returns oversize particles to the mill for regrinding, forming a circulating load circuit. Undersize fine sand slurry is discharged to the slurry tank for subsequent processing.
02

Desliming & Classification

Slurry is pumped from the slurry tank to a desliming cone for first‑stage desliming, where clay, silt and lightweight gangue are removed as overflow. The underflow slurry proceeds to a hindered settling classifier for coarse particle sizing. Most off‑spec coarse material is recycled to the ball mill for regrinding to maximize product yield. Material from the hindered settler passes through a safety screen to eliminate any residual oversize particles and protect downstream equipment. Qualified slurry is then delivered to a thickening cone for pre‑concentration and further desliming. The underflow from the thickening cone is fed to a hydraulic classifier, which removes excess fine fractions and produces a uniformly sized feed for the magnetic separation stage.
03

Magnetic Separation & Purification

The sized slurry enters two‑stage magnetic purification circuit — the core of glass‑grade silica production. It first passes through Guote’s proprietary GTGB permanent wet belt magnetic separator, which efficiently removes the majority of ferromagnetic iron‑bearing impurities. The pre‑purified slurry then proceeds to the GTLH wet high‑intensity magnetic separator (WHIMS), which generates an ultra‑high induced magnetic field. This exceptional field intensity fully captures finely disseminated weakly magnetic impurities, which are discharged to the tailings pond via the reject line. Purified concentrate slurry is pumped to a thickening cone for pre‑dewatering, then fed onto a vibrating dewatering screen. The dewatered concentrate is transferred to a finished‑product drainage silo, and is ready for packaging and delivery after adequate drainage.
04

Tailings Management & Water Recycling

All tailings generated from the entire wet processing circuit are collected and routed to the dedicated tailings treatment section. The tailings slurry is first discharged to a rake thickener, where clarified process water overflows from the top launder and is recycled to the production circuit, while thickened tailings underflow is discharged from the central outlet. The thickened tailings are then pumped to a plate‑and‑frame filter press or ceramic filter for final solid‑liquid separation. Recovered water is reused as process water to minimize freshwater consumption, while dewatered tailings cake is conveyed to the tailings storage area via belt conveyor.

PROCESSING FLOW

Core Advantages & Performance Outcomes

-Industry‑leading purity control: Two‑stage magnetic purification with proprietary GTGB and GTLH separators delivers premium silica purity with ultra‑low residual iron content, eliminating glass discoloration and bubble defects at the source.

-Precision particle engineering: Closed‑circuit grinding and hydraulic classification delivers tight size grading matched to individual glass manufacturers’ specifications, with controlled coarse and fine fraction ratios for optimal melting behavior.

-Low total cost of ownership: High‑chromium wear parts, closed‑circuit process design and energy‑efficient drives significantly reduce operating and maintenance costs compared to conventional systems.

-Full EPC turnkey delivery: End‑to‑end responsibility from laboratory testing, process design, equipment manufacturing and installation to commissioning, operator training and round‑the‑clock after‑sales support.

-Sustainable operation: Closed‑loop water recycling system with a high water recovery rate minimizes freshwater intake and meets international environmental standards.

Target Applications

Float glass, photovoltaic glass, borosilicate glass, container glass, specialty optical glass, glass fiber.

SUCCESSFUL CASE

Silica Sand Processing Plant Project in India

1 Gansu 3,000TPD Quartz Glass Sand + Quartz Slab Sand Dual-processing Project

Gansu 3,000TPD Quartz Glass Sand + Slab Sand Dual-processing Project

Processing Line for Slab-grade Silica Sand with Acid Leaching