Chemical and technological characterization and beneficiation of Jezza sand (North West of Tunisia): Potentialities of use in industrial fields

• The sand from Jezza area with high quartz content has been studied.
• Physico-chemical, mineralogy and technological properties were investigated.
• High amount of quartz and low amount of impurities were signaled.
• Their technical and chemical properties allow them suitable for various industry fields.

This work aims to study natural deposit sand formed at Miocene–Pliocene age from Jezza area in North West of Tunisia. This sand contained high percentage of silica, low percentages of carbonate and traces of clay minerals. The chemical analysis showed that the percentage of SiO2 was almost constant reaching a value of 98 wt.%, the percentage of iron oxide was 0.17 wt.% and that of Aluminum oxide was 0.32 wt.%. The mineralogical analysis revealed that these sands contained more than 95 wt.% of quartz. The calcite and phyllosilicates were the minor detected phases. The grain size analysis showed that sand samples varied between poorly graded and well graded sand with a 70 wt.% of useful fraction. The morphological tests showed a dominance of siliceous grains with a shape varying from angular to well rounded grains. The specific gravity average was 2.63 g/cm3. The sand equivalent value was 83 wt.% against a specific surface area ranging from 8.37m2/g to 20.93m2/g due to the presence of impurities. The sand treatment by attrition process indicated an exponential increase of the SiO2 content, unlike to the significant decrease of iron oxide (38 wt.%) and aluminum oxide (14 wt.%). The sand of Jezza can be used in various industrial fields, such as glass, foundry, ceramics, and concrete according to different analysis.