Sand now competes with water and air as one of the most exploited natural resources on the planet. Despite the existence of huge desert land masses such as the Sahara and Gobi, the commercial sand industry has become an increasingly competitive and, at times, murky place where the emergence of “sand mafias” has made the buying and selling of the material a complex affair in some regions.
"There is an ever-growing demand for silica – the highly-sought-after constituent of sand in most parts of the world – that is used by a variety of industries," says Trevor Orr, associate professor of civil structural and environmental engineering at TCD.
Industries with the greatest demand include construction, glass production, energy and microelectronics. “The biggest users are China, India, Brazil, the US and Turkey,” says Orr.
Some countries have access to more than others, depending on levels of commercial activity. “Singapore doesn’t have much, while Morocco has plenty,” says Orr. Whenever and wherever there a commodity is in short supply, a mafia of sorts seems to emerge. This problem is most acute for sand industries in China, India and Indonesia, where gangs steal sand and sell it on the black market.
Silicon
Almost 28 per cent of the Earth’s crust is made up of silicon – the principal component of sand (silica is a composition of silicon and oxygen). So fundamentally, there is no shortage. There is plenty of the stuff to go around. However, supply, from a macro perspective, is not the issue.
Much of the sand in the Earth’s crust is in the form of rocks, so theoretically it would need to be broken down for commercial use. In addition, different types of sand have certain properties and certain benefits. So there is not one generic type that can be used for any industrial purpose.
Particles of sand extracted from the desert are too rounded and smooth for use in construction, by far the biggest consumer of commercial sand. “You need need angular grains, found in rivers and other water sources, rather than the type deposited in the air, for construction,” says Orr.
In addition, sand with the highest demand is already loose and clean, as there are major costs associated with washing and breaking it up. “Beach sand is great,” says Dr Brent Elliott, from the Texas State Geological Survey. “But it is usually found in areas that already rely heavily on tourism so simply going in and extracting it isn’t an option.
“Finding good areas where loose sand that doesn’t need to be scraped off the surface is vital. The coasts of Morocco and Indonesia are both excellent sources of sand for commercial use. But these are also regions where people are going in illegally with dump trucks and hauling it away.”
Transportation
Sand itself is not usually expensive. But it is heavy. So transportation is a major cost for industry. That’s why extraction from vast deserts such as the Sahara or Gobi is not all that feasible at this point.
Surprisingly, therefore, several Arab countries must import sand because desert sand is suitable only for certain industrial practices and not others.
One might be forgiven for thinking sand was not a commercial concern for the sun-beaten state of Texas. But some industries there – principally those engaged in hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking – must purchase a significant quantity of sand from Wisconsin.
In Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois there is widespread access to 500-million-year-old Cambrian sandstone – ideal industrial sand that has been naturally washed and rewashed over and over again so is already well rounded, usually very clean and free from unwanted clays. “It’s ideal for fracking, as frack sand needs to be rounded,” says Elliott.
Higher levels of private property/land ownership in the US, particularly in Texas, is another reason why industrial sand extraction, is not as widespread as first thought.
“People don’t want it happening near them,” says Elliott. “It means there’ll be trucks constantly moving up and down local roads with lots of silicon and sand getting into the atmosphere. Run-off from sand-washing plants into local aquifers and other water supplies is another problem. People in the US are already well aware of these issues so don’t let it happen in their neighbourhoods.”
There are also the major environmental issues associated with sand extraction. Taking sand from the seashore leads to further erosion of beaches, and the problems associated with that. Extraction from shores and rivers is prohibited in many places because of the damage it would cause to local ecosystems and river valleys.
Developing-world problem
It’s really not a major problem in the US or Europe yet,” says Elliott. “The wider public is certainly not that aware of it. There is plenty of sand to satisfy demand in the United States. It’s a developing-world problem right now.
“Were someone to start hauling away beach sand from the Californian coast, people might start sounding alarm bells. It is in more remote countries, like Indonesia, where there is no one to stop illegal sand extraction from happening, that public uproar is growing.”
While there are costs associated with extracting rock, crushing it and then reinstating the land, in Ireland sand is still extracted this way from quarries in the ground. “It’s not a problem for us here to crush existing rock and produce enough sand for our needs,” says Orr.
Europe more generally doesn’t have many sand mines but, again, isn’t under major pressure. “There are some sandy areas in the southern alps but then when you get up to Scandinavia there is very little so it must be imported,” says Elliott. European demand for sand is relatively small and much is already either recycled or alternatives are found.
“For example, building, dimension and/or cobble stone can all be used if sandstone isn’t widely available,” says Elliott. “The problem in a lot of developing countries is that there is a lot of sand available but no one is watching it.”
