Believe it or not but the world is facing a shortage of sand due to skyrocketing construction in developing countries such as China in India. Sand is also used to produce other things such as display screens, semiconductor chips, solar panels, and other electric items While sand covers vast expanses of deserts and beaches, these types of sand cannot be used to make concrete because they are too smooth and contain too much salt. This means that sand for concrete has to be extracted by dredging them from rivers. This practice has severe environmental impacts, and some countries such as India, Vietnam, and Cambodia have introduced bans in recent years. However, the ban results in a sharp increase in illegal sand mining.
To reduce the use of sand, some research has been conducted to look for alternatives. One of the research, by Dr John Orr, a lecturer in concrete structures at Cambridge University, found that plastic waste can be sorted, cleaned, shredded, and crushed into a sand alternative to make concrete. Dr Orr’s research looked specifically at the potential of the solution in India where sand prices have skyrocketed, while 15,000 tons of plastic waste is dumped every day. He said plastic waste could reduce the sand used in concrete mix by 10% and resulted in the same strength and the same longevity.
Dr Orr estimates that applying the solution across India could cut the use of sand in concrete by 820 million tons/year. The solution also facilitates lower construction costs as plastic waste is cheaper than sand. However, Dr Orr said changes in building design provides a more viable long-term solution to resolve the sand shortage.
