Characterization of algerian desert sand as a raw material for solar-grade silicon production

The transition from fossil to clean power requires pure materials and technology. Silicon has semiconductor properties, it is the most important element in producing solar panels for electrical production, the high amount of pure silicon dioxide in the sand makes it a good raw material, economically rentable, and fewer procedures to refine it. The southwest of Algeria which has a hot, dry climate is categorized as a desert, representing an important reservoir of sunlight and an abundance of dunes, to explore and valorization of the potential of sand in this region as a raw material for solar-grade silicon production, the sand sample was gathered from Adrar province. Conventional physical and chemical characterization methods used to determine the nature and amount of existing oxides: X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence to determine the rate of silicon dioxide existing in the sample, microscopy, and sieve analysis to find the shape of the grain. The results show that the ADRAR deposit has significant-quality silica sand due to its considerable silicon dioxide (SiO2) content, reaching 96%. However, it still requires extra mechanical and chemical processing, rendering it a valuable raw resource for the renewable energy industry.