InorganiC chemicals manufacturer Adwan Chemical Industries Company Limited (ACIC) is seeking to establish a significant presence in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Established in Riyadh in 1992 and part of the Adwan group of companies, ACIC has already penetrated several Middle East and African countries. 
The company makes various grades of industrial silica sand, oil and gas sand, silica flour, sodium silicate, potassium silicate and sodium aluminate in Riyadh’s Second Industrial City.
“Adwan Chemical fully exploits two of Saudi Arabia’s vast natural resources - oil energy and high-quality white silica sand — for what it manufactures,” president and CEO Abdulaziz Al Duailej said.
“We add value to the existing basic chemical industries in the field of detergents, water treatment, glass, petrochemicals, industrial minerals and other products by providing high-quality raw materials,” he added.
Al Duailej stressed that the company had invested in state-of-the-art technologies and built an efficient team to ensure that premium quality products consistently came off the manufacturing process, ones that could compete successfully in national and international markets.
Within a few years of beginning production, the company acquired a reputation for being a reliable supplier of inorganic chemicals in the kingdom and abroad.
“We have developed strong relations with customers in GCC countries, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei “ said Al Duailej, adding that the company now aspired to cater to markets in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim.
A department for business research and development activities is helping in the effort to “develop production capacity through vertical and horizontal diversification.”
Raw silica sand with a high content of SiO2 and low content of impurities is used for the production of industrial white silica sand with a SiO2 content of 99.5 per cent in weight. The grain size ranges from 0.125 mm to 2.00 mm, with customers assured sizes of their choice.
Industrial silica sand has applications in glass manufacturing including floatglass, pattern glass and bottle glass; the manufacture of glass-reinforced pipes and of foundry sand for high-precision castings, water filtration and purification; oil-well drilling; construction chemicals; sealants and paints. 
ACIC manufactures high-purity silica flour in ceramic-lined ball mills. The silica sand is put through a four-stage process for obtaining an unmatched quality of silica flour.
Adwan Chemical’s silica flour comes in particle sizes of 5, 10, 15, 20, 32, 45, 75, 100 and 150 microns. Applications for the product exist in ceramics, oil-well drilling; paints including interior and exterior latex paints; construction chemicals; sealants; semi-conductors and fibre optics.
 The production of sodium silicate follows the rotary furnace process.  By fusing high silica content sand with soda ash in a rotary furnace at a temperature of 1,300 deg C, various SiO2/Na2O ratios are produced. When the molten matter is cooled, a clear glass of sodium silicate, which varies from colourless to slightly greenish blue, is obtained. It emerges as a premium product with exceptionally pure quality (a maximum of 0.3 per cent metal oxides).
Sodium silicate glass is used in detergents and paints, ceramics, oil well drilling, foundry, and construction chemicals. By using a steam pressure dissolver with in-line filtration, glass dissolves in exothermic action and gives an exceptionally clear solution with a long shelf life. Various grades of solution combined with densities ranging from 1.36 gm to 1.60 gm per cu cm and a viscosity ranging from 150 to 7,500 CP are manufactured. The solution is used in detergents, foundries and the preparation of titanium dioxide as well as in adhesives, construction chemicals and recycled paper.
Through the hydrothermal process or “wet process,” silicates are manufactured directly in solution form. The silicate emerges from silica flour under pressure by the action of concentrated caustic soda solution. The process lends itself to the production of crystalline silicate solution.
For potassium silicate, the same facilities, rotary furnace and dissolving unit are used to manufacture glass and to produce a clear solution with weight ratios ranging from 2:15 to 2:20. Densities ranging from 1.38 to 1.42 gm per centimetre cube and viscosity ranging from 250 to 1,200 CP are prepared.   Potassium silicate is predominantly used in the making of welding electrodes.
While soluble silicates are completely inorganic and non-inflammable, non-explosive and relatively non-toxic, they do present a slight hazard being alkaline in nature. Suitable gloves, protection glasses and an overall suit are recommended when handling these products. 
State-of-the-art technology is used to manufacture an exceptionally stable solution of sodium aluminate (stabilised) with a minimum of one-year shelf life. An online filtration unit is used to ensure that a very clear solution is obtained. The solution has applications as a flocculant in water treatment and as an element in the manufacture of molecular sieves and paper.
A factor responsible for Adwan Chemical Industries’ emergence as a prominent manufacturer is the presence of a well-equipped quality assurance department with modern measuring and analytical instruments as well as trained and experienced staff.
Every required raw material and finished product is statistically sampled and analysed in the laboratory to confirm it meets the specified quality standards. Continuous chemical and physical analysis is conducted during production to ensure stability of specifications. A certificate of analysis is issued to accompany customers and outgoing shipments.
Observes Al Duailej, “With regard to the quality policy, Adwan Chemicals has adopted four basic principles throughout its business activities: placing quality first in everything we do; clearly defining customer requirements and ensuring they are met at all times; creating and maintaining an environment for continuous improvement in the quality of our products and achieving business success through profitable growth and by enhancing our reputation for customer satisfaction.”