All over the world,the demand for sand is more intense than most would ever suspect.The importance of sand in our lives is not known by the general public,although it’s a common misunderstanding that there’s plenty of sand and always will be.It wasn’t too long ago that it was thought there were enough fish in the world’s oceans to feed us for many years,but ask any commercial fisherman how stocks are holding up and you will no doubt receive a dismal report.For sand,the problem of depletion is even worse and doesn’t look to get better anytime soon.
The point is that,in many places around the world,the demand for sand is outpacing the supply.And once the sand is gone,it’s gone for good.
Sand and gravel,known in the construction industry is “aggregate”,is the most mined substance in the world,estimated by a 2014 U.N.Environment Report as being responsible for as much as 85% of all the world’s mining activity.Some estimates put the annual sale of sand alone at as much as US$70 billion worldwide.
Aggregate is used in many construction and manufacturing activities,including the making of concrete,asphalt and glass,three of the most needed items used in urban construction.Additionally,with a decades-long building boom currently in progress,requirements for aggregate,especially sand,have never been greater.
The problem with desert sand,when it comes to construction purposes,is that the grains are too smooth and around,having been eroded by desert winds.It makes lousy concrete because good construction sand needs to have irregular,angled surfaces in order to be a good binding agent.The best sand for construction is washed down from the mountains,rivers and on down to the oceans.Much of the sand being mined today,often illegally,is coming from river beds and ocean beaches,which causes direct damage to those ecosystems as well as the environment as a whole.
In the past,sand mining was done in rural areas but not too far removed from urban centers where it was most needed.Nowadays,no one wants it mined in their backyards and sand mining permits are exceedingly difficult to obtain.Some areas have even banned the process altogether.
A great alternative exists in the form of machinery capable of producing sand suitable for construction use through the process of crushing rock and aggregate waste material.Shanvim Industry(Jinhua)Co.,Ltd. is a manufacturer of wear parts for crushers. We have cooperated with many companies all over the world.
Post time: Apr-06-2023