Sand Dune Characterization for Preparing Metallurgical Grade Silicon

Dune sand, from Biskra, Algeria which is in the Great Algerian huge desert attracts tourists from all over the world. Dune sand composes around 80% of the total area of the desert. To date only a few studies have been conducted on this sand. The purpose of the present study is to shed light on the textural and physico-chemical characteristics of this sand using several characterization methods, and to understand the potential for using for photovoltaic applications. The chemical composition of Biskra sand indicated a high purity quartz with 97.6% silica, and a presence of others oxides. Granular analysis enabled the determination of the size of the sand grains which was found to be fine to medium. On the other hand, a Scanning Electron Microscopy and optical observations were carried out, the micrographs observations indicated the presence of different shapes of sand grain, some rounded whereas others are angular edged or elongated. X-ray diffraction indicates the highly crystalline nature of the Biskra sand