Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Using plastic waste to help solve sand shortages
Concrete is used everywhere as it is usually the main structural material for houses, buildings, walls, roads, bridges, and so on. Concrete consists of an aggregate (usually sand and gravel), that is bonded together by water and cement, a finely milled mineral powder. As urbanization and mobilization progress, more buildings are built and roads are constructed. Accordingly, the need for cement increases especially in fast-developing countries like China and India. Then, the consumption of sand, one of the key components of concrete, has been skyrocketing. You may think sand is available everywhere like on beaches and deserts, but they are too fine or too salty to make concrete. Indeed, sand is another scarce natural resource that needs to be conserved. One solution is to replace sand with something more abundant, like plastic waste. In fact, as much as 10% of the sand in concrete can be replaced with plastic. That’s good news but it won’t solve the fundamental problem. In order to save natural resources, more efforts are made to use less concrete by individuals, governments, and international organizations.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about sand as a natural resource.
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