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Heating effect on the concentration of silica in dunes sand using XRD and XRF

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Abstract

In this work, XRD and XRF have been used to determine the composition of natural and heated Ouargla dunes sand in temperature range [200–1200 °C] for 24 continues hours under atmospheric pressure. The aim of this work is to raise the percentage of silica in the dunes sand of Ouargla. The XRD and XRF have been used to know the composition of natural and heated Ouargla dunes sand. XRD patterns have shown that the dunes sand of Ouargla region consists, in its natural state, of two crystalline compositions, which are the α-quartz and the gypsum. XRF spectroscopy has confirmed that this sand contains some traces of metal oxides, such as alumina and hematite. It has also indicated that heating the sand at temperatures ranging between 200 and 1200 °C affects its composition. Because of the continued loss of water from gypsum, crystalline phases of anhydrite and bassanite appear in the 200 °C heated sand, and the concentration of silica increases from 64.04% to 65.09%. When heating the sand between 400 and 800 °C, all water evaporates, gypsum transforms into anhydrite, and the concentration of silica rises to about 66.56%. Heating the sand at 1000 °C, an interaction begins between anhydrite and quartz, a small amount of sulfur trioxide gas is freed, and a new crystalline phase (wollastonite) appears, resulting in a silica concentration rise to 69.45%. When heating the sand at 1200 °C, all anhydrite interacts with quartz; thus, the wollastonite increases, releasing sulfur dioxide and oxygen gas. A part of the α-quartz transforms into β-quartz then into cristobalite, raising the silica concentration in the sand to 81.63%.

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Acknowledgements

We are extremely thankful for the Nuclear Research Center in Algiers and the cement factory of Ain Touta for giving us the opportunity and helping us in performing all the needed measurements.

We, also, extend our thanks to everyone who helped us to accomplish this work and produce it in this way, especially LRPPS laboratory and the Physics Department at the University of Ouargla, Algeria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lab. Rayonnement et Plasmas et Physique des Surfaces (LRPPS), Dépt. de Physique, Fac. des Mathématiques et des Sciences de la Matière, Univ. Ouargla, 30000, Ouargla, Algeria

    Mohammed Laïd Mechri, Smaïl Chihi, Naouia Mahdadi & Hamza Bouguettaia

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  1. Mohammed Laïd Mechri
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  2. Smaïl Chihi
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  3. Naouia Mahdadi
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  4. Hamza Bouguettaia
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Correspondence to Smaïl Chihi.

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Responsible Editor: Domenico M. Doronzo

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Mechri, M.L., Chihi, S., Mahdadi, N. et al. Heating effect on the concentration of silica in dunes sand using XRD and XRF. Arab J Geosci 16, 523 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11491-1

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