Natural resources are being wasted - the world will soon run out of sand

Did you know that sand is the second most sought-after natural resource in the world after water? Humans extract around 50 billion tons of natural sand per year, which is the equivalent of 18 kilos of sand for every person in the world every day.

Global sand extraction has reached alarming proportions. Increasingly, high-quality sand needed by industry is being extracted from lake sediments, estuaries, coastal seas and shallow seabeds. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that sand has become the most mined material in the world. 

The impact of sand extraction is huge, destroying river and coastal ecosystems and human livelihoods in many parts of the world. It also accelerates the loss of biodiversity, which is vital for the survival of life on Earth. In 2021, investigative journalists published an article in Reuters revealing how sand mining has grown into an uncontrolled business worth around $2 billion.

Industry produces millions of tones waste sand in vain

Sand is needed for concrete in buildings and bridges, for casting steel parts, for road bottoms and even for windowpanes. Although deserts are full of sand, the right kind of sand is a scarce, critical resource in the world because desert sand does not have the right properties for industrial use.

But sand extraction is not the only problem. Industrial waste sand is transported to landfills in huge quantities. Foundries are the world's largest producesr of industrial waste sand, and almost half of this 100-million-ton mountain is produced in China. The second largest producer of foundry waste sand is India, whose foundry industry, like Finland's, relies on imported sand. In Europe too, the foundry industry dumps 16.8 million tons of waste sand annually.

Sand recycling also helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions

At Resand, we have developed an innovative technology that enables waste sand from the foundry industry to be cleaned, regenerated and recycled for reuse. Sand regeneration enables quartz sand used in foundries to be cleaned to a level that is even better than virgin sand. Best of all, the sand can be used again and again in industrial processes.

Our sand regeneration technology has proven successful and is a step towards a more sustainable future. By recycling waste sand, we reduce emissions from sand extraction and transport and save natural resources. We want to lead the way in sustainability and do our bit for the environment. We hope that other industrial sectors will follow our example, and together we will take responsibility for a more sustainable future. We must stop wasting sand.