Huge reserves of mineral-rich black sands present Egypt with an opportunity not to be passed up.
On August 5, the Dutch dredger Long Live Egypt arrived at the fishing port of of Borollu in the Delta Governorate of Kafr el-Sheikh to start hewing out the local mineral wealth.
In June last year, the Egyptian Black Sand Company (EBSC) and the governor of Kafr el-Sheikh signed an agreement to build two factories near the international coastal road in Borollos to extract minerals from black sand.
Under the umbrella of the Armed Forces National Service Project Organisation, the EBSC was founded in 2016 as part of government plans to maximise the use of all natural resources.
According to a latest aerial survey by the Nuclear Materials Authority, Egypt has 11 sites of black sand along the 400 kilometres of the northern coast from Rasheed to Rafah. The estimated 285 million tonnes of black sands on 22 kiloemtres of coast on the western sector east of Borollos contain around 3.4 per cent of heavy metals.
Atef el-Dardiri, former chairman of the Egyptian Geological Survey. Association said: “The black sand extraction project could provide cheap raw materials for local industry.
El-Dardiri, himself a mining expert, told this newspaper that Egyptian black sand contains zircon, granite and titanium.
“Titanium is used for the manufacture of aircraft engines, plastics, rubber, cosmetics and leather,” el- Dardiri said.
“Zircon is used in ceramics, nuclear reactors and car engines. Granite is used to make aircraft parts, paints and water filters.”
He added that many ceramics companies import zircon, but extracting it will meet the needs of these companies and will benefit the economy by saving import costs.
“Sourcing black sand minerals locally will not just provide Egyptian manufacturers with local substitutes to imported raw materials, but will also create new export opportunities for this nation,” he said.
He also added that the project will mobilise a substantial workforce and decreases the strain on the country’s coastal environment by reducing the harmful effects of radioactive minerals.
“Some 5.5 million tonnes of minerals can be extracted from the area around Borollos and this can breathe life into industries,” he added.
“The project is expected to transform the North Delta, especially Kafr el-Sheikh, into a huge investment area and bring real development to the whole country.”
