Could sand from the Sahara Desert be used to make glass?
almost any sand on earth can be used to make sand, but different sand will result in glass with different properties. the specific silica sand that saudipta mentioned is needed for clarity, and most utility type glass, such as lenses and windows, is made form it, but not all glass is silica based. the old greenish tinted clear soda bottles in the 70’s were mostly made from common southwestern US desert sand, which had a fair amount of mica, which gave it that tint. “mom and pop” type glassblower shops try sand from all sorts of places looking for unique tints and other properties. So In short, yes, sahara sand could be used to make glass just as easily as any other sand, but there’s no telling what type of clarity or color it would have until you tried it.
