You may have read the project title and wondered what aggregates are?

Aggregates is the term for various coarse to medium sized particulate material used in construction – it includes gravel, crushed stone, sand, recycled concrete and geosynthetic material. We’ve chosen to focus on sand for this project as, globally, it forms the largest material flow for construction.

What is Sand?

• Sand is usually made of silicon dioxide (SiO2), also known as silica, in the form of quartz and is formed over hundreds or thousands of years as rocks break down due to weathering and erosion.
• A sand grain can be defined as a particle that is between 0.06 and 2 millimetres (0.002 and 0.08 of an inch) in diameter, anything larger is gravel, and anything smaller is known as silt.

Why Sand?

Often thought of as plentiful, sand is not recognised as a strategic resource by many countries and getting accurate information on sand is challenging.  Sand is currently being used much faster than it is being created, and demand is forecast to grow in the coming years through increasing population and urbanisation.   

• Sand is the second most-consumed natural resource on Earth, after water.
• Sand is a finite resource and currently being extracted at a rate far greater than its formation.
• Desert sand is rarely used for building as it is too round and smooth; most industrially used sand is found in riverbeds, flood plains, lakes, beaches and within the oceans.
• Sand extraction has a major impact on:
  • Inland, river and coastal erosion.
  • Changing river and water flows, and altering flood plains.
  • Lowering of the water table and pollution.
  • Biodiversity and ecosystems.
  • Infrastructure around rivers and coastal areas.
  • Climate due to the transportation.
• There is currently a lack of a global monitoring system for sand and aggregate extraction.