As an important industrial raw material, zircon sand has been widely used in many industries because of its excellent high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance and high melting point. The following are the main application fields of zircon sand:

I. Foundry industry

Zirconium sand is mainly used to manufacture molding sand and mold materials for precision castings in foundry industry. Its high purity, low thermal expansion and good chemical stability make it an ideal casting material.

Zirconium sand containing 65% ~ 66% ZrO is widely used as the mold material of iron metal in foundry because of its melting resistance (melting point above 2500℃).

Zirconium sand is also used to make bricks for glass kilns.

II. Ceramic industry

Zirconium sand is an important raw material in ceramic manufacturing, which is widely used to produce ceramic glaze and green body, and can significantly improve the strength, heat resistance and gloss of ceramic products.

In the ceramic industry, zircon sand can be used to manufacture aviation instruments, thermocouples, magnetic heads and high-temperature lighting for aerospace.

Ultrafine zirconium silicate (processed from zircon sand) is the main additive of ceramic opalescent glaze, which is widely used in the glaze of daily-use ceramics and building sanitary ceramics.

III. Refractory materials

Zirconium sand is widely used to make refractory materials such as high temperature furnace lining, crucible and refractory brick. Its high melting point (above 2550℃) and excellent thermal shock resistance make it perform well in high temperature environment.

Zirconium sand can also be used to manufacture spalling-resistant high-alumina bricks to improve their thermal shock stability.

IV. Glass industry

As an additive in the glass industry, zircon sand can improve the alkali resistance and fiber strength of glass and improve the optical properties of glass.

Zirconium sand can also be used to make zircon bricks in glass kilns.

V. Chemical industry

Zirconium sand is used to produce zirconium compounds, such as zirconium sulfate, basic zirconium carbonate, zirconium oxychloride, etc. These compounds are widely used in chemical industry, cosmetics, printing, painting and other industries.

VI. Other industries

Zirconium sand is used in the nuclear industry to make refractories for nuclear reactors.

Zirconium sand can also be used to make synthetic diamonds, pigments and other products.

Zirconium sand also has applications in 3D printing, semiconductors, perovskite batteries, solid-state batteries and other emerging fields.

To sum up, zircon sand plays an irreplaceable role in many industries such as casting, ceramics, refractories, glass, chemical industry and so on because of its unique physical and chemical characteristics.