AMMAN — High-purity silica sand in
southern Jordan is estimated to be worth billions of dollars, providing a
strong incentive for both international and domestic investors, the Jordan News
Agency, Petra, reported.
اضافة اعلان
Research shows that there is a high return
on investment for silica sand, also known as quartz sand. It is estimated that
there are 12 billion tonnes of high-purity silica deposits in the southern Maan
Governorate, with 22,000 tonnes covering local market demand each year.
The Energy and Minerals Regulatory
Commission reported that in 2021, a total of 68,800 metric tonnes of
high-purity silica were manufactured.
Purifying silicaThe Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources has been able to upgrade the purity of silica in the Ras Al-Naqab
area to 99.62 percent, with a target of 99.99 percent purity. This falls under
a three-pronged effort launched by the ministry in February 2022 to
re-evaluate silica deposits in light of international markets’ demand for ultra-pure silica
of greater than 99.9 percent purity.
The ministry's research and analysis has
shown that Jordanian silica has low levels of mineral impurities, so processing
it to greater than 99 percent purity would not incur a significant financial
burden.
The purity of Jordanian silica samples
processed by a Canadian laboratory (SGS) was upgraded from 95-98 percent
(natural form) to more than 99.9 percent using washing, grinding, sieving, and
magnetic separation techniques, the ministry noted.
Jordanian silica has low levels of mineral impurities, so processing it to greater than 99 percent purity would not incur a significant financial burden.
In southern Jordan, silica is abundant and
can be extracted with minimal effort using only surface mining techniques.
Deposits can be found in proximity to major thoroughfares and the port of
Aqaba.
Silica is used in the manufacture of
glassware, crystal glass, glass panels, fiber optics, optical glass, plumbing
molds, ceramics and bricks, and water filters. It is also
used in the manufacture of rubber, plastic, paper, paint, and in a host of chemical
industries.
Jordan’s mining industryIn 2021, the mining industry earned a total
of JD3.11 billion, of which JD1.94 billion came from extraction and JD1.16
billion from manufacturing, according to the ministry's figures.
That year, the mining industry was
responsible for 9.12 percent of the Kingdom’s GDP and 30.4 percent of total
exports.
While the mining industry accounted for
over 19 percent of total exports in 2019, the Mineral Resources Strategy for
2025 aims to increase its GDP contribution to 11 percent from the current rate
of 7.7 percent.
Licenses to explore for and
mine minerals like phosphate, potash, limestone, silica, pozzolana, dolomite, calcium
carbonate, copper, and others are issued and renewed by the Energy and Minerals
Regulatory Commission.
Mapping the Kingdom’s mineralsRecently, the ministry signed an agreement
with a private company to map out the Kingdom’s natural mineral resources to
attract investments to this sector.
Over the course of two years, the company will
conduct an electromagnetic survey of the various regions of the Kingdom to
pinpoint areas with mining potential.
Streamlining investmentsIn August 2020, the ministry announced a
number of potential investment opportunities in the mining and petroleum
industries across the Kingdom, opening up several areas with potential oil, oil
shale, and
mineral wealth.
In particular, the ministry identified 12
minerals with commercial viability for both the extractive and manufacturing
industries.
The most significant minerals that are
currently commercially exploitable are the subject of a special bulletin
launched by the ministry, providing information on each mineral’s estimated
geological reserves as well as a description of the minerals found in Jordan,
their nature, and the geological environments in which they are found.
The ministry also introduced a platform
aimed at helping mining investors and streamlining business operations to
improve the overall investment journey and experience.
In southern Jordan, silica is abundant and can be extracted with minimal effort using only surface mining techniques
In 2022, the ministry has signed seven
memoranda of understanding to explore and mine minerals and other resources
throughout the Kingdom, with a focus on manufacturing industries.
In addition, the ministry recently unveiled
an interactive digital map that highlights regions with potential raw mineral
wealth that are open to investments. This map features 13 different mineral
resources, including basalt, bentonite, chalk, copper, diatomite, dolomite,
feldspat, gold, gypsum, kaolin, phosphate, limestone, and quartz.
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