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Industrial properties and uses of silica sand from Blue Nile Basin, Central Ethiopia

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Abstract

Silica sand samples from Fetra area in Blue Nile Basin were collected for revealing their physicochemical properties and industrial uses. These samples were characterized by grain size analysis, optical microscopy, and X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry methods for revealing the particle size distribution, grain shape class, and major element composition of the studied silica sand deposit. Sand grains (average of 97.24%) with minor amounts of gravel (average of 1.77%) and mud (average of 0.99%) size sediments constitute Fetra silica sand deposit. The majority of these sand particles possess less spherical rounded to well-rounded morphology as revealed by the microscopic study. The obtained grain shape and grain size results indicate the high textural maturity of sediments constituting the deposit. Geochemically, the studied silica sand deposit is characterized by the abundance of SiO2 (96.65%) with lesser quantity of Al2O3 (1.35%), Fe2O3 (0.85%), TiO2 (0.13%), and minor content CaO, MgO, and K2O (< 0.06%). The enrichment of SiO2 over the other oxides shows the chemical purity and quartz copiousness of the deposit. Interpretation of both physical and chemical analysis results with international quality specifications showed silica sand occurrence of Fetra area possesses the sufficient quality to be applicable in glass, foundry, filtering media, abrasive, and cement industries.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are very pleased to express our special thanks to Addis Ababa Science and Technology University for providing material and laboratory support to the research project. We would like to extend our acknowledgment to the Geological Survey of Ethiopia for offering us valuable data relevant to the research work. The authors also appreciate the contribution of the Australian Laboratory service for conducting a geochemical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Debre Berhan University, P.O. Box 445, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia

    Ashenafi Nigussie

  2. Department of Geology, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, P.O. Box 16417, Ethiopia

    Tesfaye Demisse

  3. School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Worash Getaneh

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  1. Ashenafi Nigussie
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  2. Tesfaye Demisse
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  3. Worash Getaneh
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Contributions

All authors of this research work contributed significantly from the beginning to the end of this study. Field excursion, sample collection, analysis, and interpretation were conducted by Ashenafi Nigussie, Tesfaye Demisse, and Worash Getaneh. The first draft of the manuscript was prepared by Ashenafi Nigussie and further modified by all authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ashenafi Nigussie.

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Responsible Editor: Domenico M. Doronzo

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Nigussie, A., Demisse, T. & Getaneh, W. Industrial properties and uses of silica sand from Blue Nile Basin, Central Ethiopia. Arab J Geosci 16, 213 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11302-7

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