Inauguration of Plant Complex of the Egyptian Black Sand Company in Borolos

Eight areas of black sand spread across the Mediterranean coast, from Rasheed in the west to Rafah in the east over 400 kilometres, as well as one area on the Red Sea coast, in addition to the Lake Nasser area. 

Minerals produced from black sand:

Ilmenite, rutile, zircon, monazite, garnet and magnetite. These minerals have significant economic importance as they are used in many strategic industries.

-The most important uses of minerals extracted from black sand: 

Ilmenite and rutile are used to manufacture aircraft structures, rockets, submarines, spacecraft, paints, dyes, paper and leather.

Zircon is used to manufacture ceramics, sanitary ware, glass, alloy motors, dental fixtures, lining ovens and furnace lining.

Magnetite is used to manufacture sponge iron, high quality cast iron, high heat tolerant concrete and mineral fertilisers.

Garnet is used to manufacture bay stones, sandpaper, water filters and marble and granite cutting.

Monazite is used to manufacture smartphones, electric cars, thorium and uranium.

Locations of the company:

•The separation plant in Ghalioun, located in front of the village of Al-Sayyid Al-Badawi next to the Burullus power plant. It consists of 4 of floating extraction units to produce ilmenite, rutile, zircon, monazite, garnet and magnetite.

•The separation plant in Rasheed. It operates with 2 fixed extraction units and consists of 5 moving extraction units to produce ilmenite, rutile, zircon, monazite, garnet and magnetite.

•The extraction site of Damietta’s port Sediment Basins includes 2 fixed extraction units.

•The extraction site of Lake Manzala includes 4 fixed extraction units.

Project objectives:

• establishing new industrial complexes

• achieving an economic return and providing foreign currencies by exporting the surplus

• providing 5,000 direct and indirect job opportunities

Project components:

• The dredger, Long Live Egypt, produced by the Dutch company Damen, operating with a production capacity of 2500 tons per hour.

• The floating concentration factory for the extraction of economic metal ore, with a production rate of 158 tons per hour.

• The factory for preparation, feeding and production of magnetite, with a production capacity of 12 thousand tons per year.

• The ilmenite plant with a production capacity of 298 thousand tons per year.

• The zircon plant with a production capacity of 25 thousand tons per year.

• The rutile plant with a production capacity of 11 thousand tons per year.

• The garnet factory with a production capacity of 23 thousand tons per year.

• The monazite plant with a production capacity of 145 thousand tons per year.

• The water desalination plant for the industrial process with a production capacity of 4200 m3 per day.

• The gas pressure reduction station, with a production capacity of 1100 m3 per hour.

• Power station with a production capacity of 75 megawatts.