PRODUCTS
High Grade Silica Sand
High Grade Silica Sand is used in the production of:
- Float Glass
- Container Glass
- TFT – LCD Glass
- Fibre Glass including Optical Fibres
- Speciality Glass
Washed, correctly sized and dry sorted high grade silica sand from the Gingin project area would be targeted for high-grade applications in the glass, chemical, foundry, and filtration industries.
The main export destinations countries for these types of products are China, Japan and Korea.
It is envisaged that ASQ will work with the customer to provide the required tonnages of suitably specified high grade sand delivered in container loads, or bulka bags and that the sand would be delivered from the site to the Port facility in Fremantle by road train.
In the case of the Albany project the company is targeting a bulk silica sand style operation, similar to the existing AustSand operation.
Hardrock High Purity Quartz
High Purity Quartz is considered a highly specialised commodity with a low tonnage, high value market. The commodity is used in the production of :
- semi conductors
- solar panels
- specialist technology applications
ASQ have secured a number of hard rock quartz deposits in Western Australia and Queensland and the company is currently evaluating the potential to produce a high grade lump silica or hard rock quartz product.
Product Pricing
|
Type or Application |
SiO2 minimum % |
Other Elements maximum % |
Other Elements maximum ppm |
Market Size Mtpa |
Typical price US$/tonne |
|
Clear glass-grade sand |
99.5 |
0.5 |
5,000 |
>70 |
US$30 |
|
EMC, LCD and optical glass |
99.8 |
0.2 |
2,000 |
2 |
US$160 - 400 |
|
Intermediate HPQ |
99.95 |
0.05 |
500 |
0.75 |
US$300 - 600 |
|
High grade HPQ |
99.99 |
0.01 |
100 |
0.25 |
US$500 - 800 |
|
Ultrahigh HPQ |
99.997 |
0.003 |
30 |
<0.1 |
US$5,000 - 8,000 |
|
Hyper HPQ |
99.999 |
0.001 |
10 |
<0.1 |
US$12,000 |
Table 1. Typical silica sand and quartz specifications and pricing by market. Modified from a table produced by Richard Flook 2014.
RESEARCH UPDATE
February 2021
Australia Silica Quartz Group is expanding it's research project to include the purification and processing of hard rock quartz with a view to potentially expanding it's product base.
The additional research adds value to the existing research being undertaken and the knowledge of Western Australia silica sands and the methodologies of purification being developed in the company's first stage of research will prove useful in the development of a process for a high purity hard rock quartz product.