Investigation of the Silicon Content of Sands from River Wudil for the Development of Solar PV Panel

Engineering notes

Engineering notes will be added by the Power for Solar editorial team.

Chinese explanation / 中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为光伏效率、钙钛矿太阳能电池、储能技术、太阳能热利用、BIPV、并网技术等高价值论文补充中文说明。

Original abstract

The increasing global demand for renewable energy has intensified the need for sustainable and locally available raw materials for photovoltaic (PV) technologies. Silicon, obtained primarily from silica (SiO₂), remains the principal semiconductor material used in the manufacture of crystalline solar photovoltaic cells due to its excellent electrical properties, abundance, and long-term stability. This study investigates the silicon content of River Wudil sand in Kano State, Nigeria, to evaluate its suitability as a potential raw material for silica extraction for the development of photovoltaic-related PVC solar panel components. Representative sand samples were collected from five different locations along River Wudil following standard sampling procedures. The samples were subjected to beneficiation processes, including washing, acid leaching, drying, magnetic separation, and sieve analysis before characterization using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). The sieve analysis revealed that Samples C and D possessed well-graded medium-sized particles, making them more suitable for silica beneficiation due to their larger surface area and lower grinding requirements. XRF analysis showed that silicon dioxide (SiO₂) was the predominant oxide in all samples, with concentrations ranging from 75.92 wt.% to 79.60 wt.%, confirming that River Wudil sand is naturally rich in silica. However, impurities such as Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, K₂O, CaO, TiO₂, and trace metallic oxides were also detected, indicating that additional purification processes are required to achieve the high-purity silica needed for photovoltaic applications. SEM micrographs revealed predominantly sub-angular to sub-rounded quartz grains with relatively smooth surfaces, localized fractures, and limited impurity coatings, characteristics that favour efficient washing, acid leaching, and magnetic separation. Although the EDX results reported chromium and strontium as dominant detected elements, these findings were inconsistent with the XRF and SEM analyses due to the exclusion of oxygen during measurement, thereby limiting their reliability for quantitative elemental interpretation. Overall, the combined characterization results demonstrate that River Wudil sand possesses significant potential as a local silica resource for industrial beneficiation. Among the investigated samples, Sample A exhibited the highest silica content (79.60 wt.%), while Sample D contained the lowest concentrations of iron and titanium impurities, making these samples the most promising candidates for high-purity silica production after beneficiation. The study concludes that appropriate processing techniques, including washing, magnetic separation, milling, and acid leaching, can substantially improve the silica purity to meet the stringent requirements for advanced polymer composites and photovoltaic applications. The successful utilization of River Wudil silica would contribute to the development of indigenous raw materials for renewable energy technologies, reduce dependence on imported silica resources, lower manufacturing costs, and promote sustainable industrial development in Nigeria.

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