Silica sand production in Croatia

Silica sand is an important non-metallic mineral raw material within the resources of the Republic of Croatia. Croatian silica sand reserves could meet industrial needs over the long term. The 15 exploitation fields are registered, and the average annual production in the last 10 years is about 240, 000 tonnes. Depending on quality i.e. specific physical and chemical properties (grain size distribution, chemical and mineral composition, moisture content, etc.), silica sand is used as the basic mineral raw material for many industrial applications. To meet defined chemical and physical specifications according to intended application, the raw sand often has to be subjected to extensive physical and chemical processing. The paper describes main beneficiation methods used in the processing of sand intended for industrial uses. Beneficiation procedure applied at the silica sand deposit "Jerovec" located in north-western Croatia is presented, as well as the results achieved under field conditions.