New use for black sand tailings

[Capt Nemo]

I was reading in an old book on nuclear reactors and found that they were adding boron, iron, and lead shot to concrete for shielding. The iron and boron are for neutron shielding and the lead is for gamma/X-ray shielding. Hmmmm........

Replace the normal sand in the concrete with black sand and your concrete is neutron shielding.

Maybe we should be selling it to the prepping community for their fallout shelters. I know we get a ton of iron sands that don't provide most of us with income, but I think I found a new market for them! Now, we have to create the demand by letting the prepping community know.

I already sell my magnetite to a blacksmith. With this I could sell all the buckets of hematite to the preppers.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

I used to package our black sands into 5lbs bags, and sell it to the aquarium/pet shops in Glendale and Phoenix. $0.60-lbs.

 

[ncclaymaker]

Too bad that plutonium has a half-life of about 24,100 years... otherwise, we could have offered clothing with hematite embedded in the fibers.

 

[DizzyDigger]

I was reading in an old book on nuclear reactors and found that they were adding boron, iron, and lead shot to concrete for shielding. The iron and boron are for neutron shielding and the lead is for gamma/X-ray shielding. Hmmmm........
Replace the normal sand in the concrete with black sand and your concrete is neutron shielding.
Maybe we should be selling it to the prepping community for their fallout shelters. I know we get a ton of iron sands that don't provide most of us with income, but I think I found a new market for them! Now, we have to create the demand by letting the prepping community know.
I already sell my magnetite to a blacksmith. With this I could sell all the buckets of hematite to the preppers.

They will need a lot of it to do the job, but if done properly they could
actually shield themselves from the magnetic field effects of an EMP.

Biggest issue would be finding a door that provided a safe level of
shielding while not weighing 1000 lbs.

 

[russau]

also for non-skid protection but it'll oxidize if not protected from the atmosphere .

 

[rainwolf75]

I am not 100% sure on this, but I believe someone mentioned that you can use it during either the smelting or melting process. From what I can recall if using black sand you don not have to roast it first. Maybe someone who knows much more about that can chime in.

 

[russau]

make leather bags and put the B.S. in them for bench rest shooter's OR make the bags for guys that do custom body work on cars.

 

[Laz7777]

I think I've thrown away some important values in my black sand.
in pulling away the magnetite I'm showing a blue-gray non-magnetic sand in some areas that could possibly contain iridium and/or osmium.
there have been finds of iridium and osmium in the Hammonton mining district on the lower Yuba, near Marysville.
next season I'll save some and bring it in to have it looked at with an xrf at my buyer.

 

[johnedoe]

If I could find a market for my black sands I would be rich..........
Black sand is all I deal with for my fine gold recovered.

 

[ecmjamsit]

Black sand is used for cinder block manufacturing. It has been for a long time too.