Zircon retrieval

A process for retrieving ZrSiO.sub.4 from zircon sand, said zircon sand being comprised of ZrSiO.sub.4 and a significant amount of impurities including SiO.sub.2 and iron, which comprises subjecting an aqueous slurry of said zircon sand to comminuting means comprised of iron means fracturing said zircon sand to an average particle size of less than about 5 microns, admixing the recovered fractured sand slurry with nitric acid and hydrochloric acid oxidizing its iron component to ferric ion and reacting said ferric ion with said hydrochloric acid producing ferric chloride in solution, the concentration and amount of said nitric acid being sufficient to oxidize said iron component to ferric ion leaving no significant amount of said iron component, the concentration and amount of said hydrochloric acid being sufficient to react with said ferric ion to form ferric chloride leaving no significant amount of free ferric ion, admixing the resulting suspension with a flocculating agent agglomerating the suspended particles therein, admixing the resulting agglomerated mass with concentrated hydrofluoric acid dissolving its SiO.sub.2 component, said hydrofluoric acid being admixed in a concentration and amount sufficient to dissolve said SiO.sub.2 component leaving no significant amount of said SiO.sub.2 component, washing the resulting product with water and drying said product, said dried product having an average particle size of less than about 5 microns and consisting essentially of ZrSiO.sub.4 and containing no significant amount of impurities.