Silica

Industrial silica is used in a vast array of industries, the main ones being the glass, foundries, construction, ceramics, and the chemical industry. Silica in its finest form is also used as functional filler for paints, plastics, rubber, and silica sand is used in water filtration and agriculture.

Silica is the most abundant oxide on the earth’s crust. A large amount of silica occurs as free silica that is mostly in the form of quartz although most of it is combined with other elements in the silicate minerals.

There are 3 types of silica found in nature that are rock, granular and powdered .

• Rock type – This type is also known as quartz stone. Due to its impurities content, this type of silica is not commonly used in the ceramic industry.

• Granular Type – This form of silica is known as silica sand and is the most commonly found. This type of silica is widely used in ceramics because it is rather pure even without beneficiation.

• Powder Type – This amorphous type of silica is known as diatomaceous earth and contains a considerable amount of impurities. The usage is not in ceramics but mainly in thermal insulation.