Silica Sand & Glass Sand Processing Plants
Purification of silica sand for solar photovoltaic panels, flat glass and the full range of soda-lime-silica glass products.
A silica sand processing plant washes, classifies and beneficiates raw silica deposits into glass-grade sand. Commercial soda-lime-silica glass contains 70–74% silicon dioxide, and low-iron grades for solar photovoltaic panels demand attrition, gravity and magnetic separation and acid leaching. CFlo builds the full modular circuit with up to 95% water recycling.
Glass sand starts with the right specification
There is no single specification for glass sand, because every glass type has different chemical and physical requirements. Most commercial glass is soda-lime-silica glass, covering solar glass, photovoltaic glass, bottles, glass jars, and flat or float glass for windows, mirrors and glazing. These glasses contain between 70% and 74% silicon dioxide, and the ultimate source of that silica is sand.
CFlo works with the largest glass manufacturers, including Saint Gobain, to optimise their glass production processes, and manufactures the full range of equipment required on a glass sand processing plant.
Low-iron silica sand for solar panels
Producing specialist grades, particularly low-iron glass silica sand for solar photovoltaic panels, requires beneficiation and leaching equipment beyond simple washing. The process starts with detailed analysis of your feed material: its particle size distribution (PSD) and its chemical properties. From that analysis, and your target physical and chemical specification, CFlo designs a custom-built low-iron silica sand plant that typically includes:
- Feed system and primary screening
- Attrition
- Gravity separation
- Magnetic separation
- Acid leaching
- Sand classification and dewatering
- Stacking and stockpiling
- Drying
- Water recycling and tailings management
Why modular matters
- Maximum process efficiency: careful attention to every material transfer point retains material and water in the circuit, maximising product yield
- Minimal footprint: integrating several processing phases into modular units cuts the space your plant occupies and reduces project cost through lighter associated works
- Rapid deployment: modular equipment installs in significantly less time than a stick-built static plant, so you are producing sooner
This is the Next-Gen 'Super' Systems approach: Super modular plants that ship compactly and install plug-and-play, Super smart automation that holds glass-grade quality while reducing water and power, and Super easy app-guided installation and service.
Zero-Liquid Discharge water management
Choosing CFlo's Zero-Liquid Discharge (ZLD) solution achieves up to 95% water recycling from the wet processing circuit while significantly reducing the space your plant requires. ZLD is particularly advantageous when producing low-iron glass silica sand for solar panels, where environmental performance is paramount to the end customer.
Proven with glass and mineral producers
CFlo silica and glass sand plants operate at Chu Lai (Vietnam), Ahmed Brothers Materials, Phenikaa (Vietnam), Saint Gobain and Suraj Minerals, with the Micrograder as the core classification system. Each installation is documented in a published case study.
See it in action
Frequently asked questions
What specification does glass sand need to meet?
There is no single glass sand specification: each glass type demands its own chemistry and grading. Soda-lime-silica glass, which covers solar glass, bottles, jars and float glass, contains 70–74% silicon dioxide. Your plant design starts from the exact glass grade you supply, which fixes the iron limit and particle size distribution.
How is low-iron silica sand for solar panels produced?
After detailed analysis of your feed's particle size distribution and chemistry, the circuit combines attrition, gravity separation, magnetic separation and acid leaching to strip iron-bearing contamination, followed by classification, dewatering and drying. CFlo custom-builds this full circuit as modular equipment, sized to your deposit and target specification.
How much water does a silica sand washing plant recycle?
With CFlo's Zero-Liquid Discharge solution, up to 95% of process water is recycled within the wet processing circuit. ZLD also removes the need for large settling ponds, significantly reducing the footprint of your silica sand plant, a decisive factor on solar glass projects where environmental performance is scrutinised.
How much space does a glass sand processing plant need?
Less than a traditional static plant. CFlo integrates several processing phases into each modular unit, minimising the plant's footprint and reducing overall project cost through lighter civil works. Adding Zero-Liquid Discharge water treatment further cuts the area required, since large tailings ponds are eliminated.
How long does installation take compared with a stick-built plant?
Significantly less. CFlo's modular equipment range is pre-engineered and ships as compact building blocks, so installation takes a fraction of the time of the traditional stick-build or static approach. That gets you up and running, and generating revenue from glass-grade sand, in the shortest possible time.
Which companies use CFlo silica sand plants?
Published case studies cover Chu Lai (Vietnam), Ahmed Brothers Materials, Phenikaa (Vietnam), Saint Gobain and Suraj Minerals. The Micrograder classification system is the core of these plants, producing the tight particle size distributions glass manufacturers require.
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