Record high sand prices and scarcity: Need for alternative materials soon?

In terms of policy and planning, state management agencies must have a long-term vision to address sand scarcity and rising prices.

In recent months, the price of sand has increased so much that many construction contractors in Ho Chi Minh City have been forced to slow down their construction due to rising costs. After localities tightened control over sand mining, the supply of this material has become scarce. Many people believe that it is time to find alternative sources of materials.

Currently, the price of sand in Ho Chi Minh City is at a record high, increasing dramatically from 50-200% compared to the beginning of the year. The price of construction sand is over 600 thousand VND/m3, causing many difficulties for residents and construction contractors.

According to the survey data of the Ministry of Construction, the demand for sand from 2016 to 2020 is approximately 2.3 billion m3. While the current reserves are only over 2 billion m3. It is forecasted that by 2020, with the sand usage reaching about 130 million m3/year, there will be no more sand for construction.

To meet the high demand for construction in Ho Chi Minh City, many experts have proposed a number of solutions to use other artificial materials to replace sand. Mr. Nguyen Tien Dinh, Director of the Center for Forecasting and Planning for Construction Materials Development, Ministry of Construction, said that the first source that can be thought of is to use industrial waste.

Sand prices are increasing day by day, many construction material dealers have no sand to sell.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Dinh, currently, it is possible to use thermal power plant ash to mix into cement or put into roller compacted concrete, which has been applied in hydroelectric projects. Ho Chi Minh City needs to require that right from the thermal power plant, when spraying out thermal power plant ash, they must build an additional pelletizing line to create sand on the spot. Thus, transportation becomes simple, dust-free and can be used locally.

Another solution proposed by Dr. Pham Trung Kien, Faculty of Materials Technology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, is that in the short term, the city can grind construction waste such as rubble into particles of the same size as sand for use. Note that this solution can only deal with the current sand shortage immediately.

In the long term, Mr. Pham Trung Kien said that the Ministry of Construction must issue standards and coordinate with research facilities to propose standards for mixed sand. However, the technical problem is that there are currently no standards for mixed sand mixed from crushed slag with natural sand.

According to Associate Professor, Doctor Tran Van Mien, Head of the Department of Construction Materials, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, if using materials of natural origin, it is possible to grind them from sandstone. The type of sand crushed from natural stone has a grain size similar to natural sand, ensuring the requirements of physical and chemical properties and can be mixed in the appropriate ratio with natural sand in concrete and construction mortar.

However, Mr. Mien said that there is currently no full assessment of the source of crushed sand from natural stone because this type of sand is still considered for landfilling and not used in construction works. Furthermore, if using materials from crushed stone, it still does not completely solve the problem of saving natural sand resources.

Faced with the sand shortage, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has directed the city's Department of Science and Technology to order a research project on "Application of materials to replace natural sand as aggregate for cement concrete and mortar".

Many experts say that in terms of policy and planning, state management agencies must have a long-term vision. To achieve unity, it is necessary to investigate and evaluate the overall needs of the locality to have a calculation plan. Only then can artificial sand develop and change the habit of using natural sand in construction projects./.

According to VOV