Feb 2, 2026 09:15 PM
https://norwegianscitechnews.com/2026/01...and-roads/
INTRO: Concrete is the world’s most widely used building material – second only to water. Globally, more than four billion tonnes of cement are produced every year. Concrete consumption is so enormous that it accounts for around eight per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions.
Sand is an essential component of concrete, and not just any sand: it must be of the right size and shape. Therefore, rock is crushed into gravel and sand, and river sand is excavated on a large scale. This results in major environmental impacts and an increasing scarcity of suitable sand.
Herein lies the paradox: While we empty rivers and crush mountains to obtain sand, there are enormous amounts of sand in the world’s deserts. However, it is too fine-grained to be used in traditional concrete. Can this “useless” sand become a resource?
Researchers have discussed for many years whether desert sand can be used in concrete. The challenge is that desert sand is so fine-grained that it is not suitable as a fastener in concrete. In other words, the concrete will not be hard enough to be used in construction projects,” says Ren Wei, postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering at NTNU.
Ren Wei and several researchers at NTNU and the University of Tokyo have made a prototype of a new material: botanical sand concrete. It combines desert sand with plant-based additives and is made by pressing desert sand and tiny pieces of wood together, along with heat.
The researchers tried many different ways to create this material. They tested different temperatures, how hard they pressed, and different types of sand. They found that desert sand actually works well when used in this way. The new material became so strong that it can be used to make paving stones for pavements and walkways... (MORE - details)
INTRO: Concrete is the world’s most widely used building material – second only to water. Globally, more than four billion tonnes of cement are produced every year. Concrete consumption is so enormous that it accounts for around eight per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions.
Sand is an essential component of concrete, and not just any sand: it must be of the right size and shape. Therefore, rock is crushed into gravel and sand, and river sand is excavated on a large scale. This results in major environmental impacts and an increasing scarcity of suitable sand.
Herein lies the paradox: While we empty rivers and crush mountains to obtain sand, there are enormous amounts of sand in the world’s deserts. However, it is too fine-grained to be used in traditional concrete. Can this “useless” sand become a resource?
Researchers have discussed for many years whether desert sand can be used in concrete. The challenge is that desert sand is so fine-grained that it is not suitable as a fastener in concrete. In other words, the concrete will not be hard enough to be used in construction projects,” says Ren Wei, postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering at NTNU.
Ren Wei and several researchers at NTNU and the University of Tokyo have made a prototype of a new material: botanical sand concrete. It combines desert sand with plant-based additives and is made by pressing desert sand and tiny pieces of wood together, along with heat.
The researchers tried many different ways to create this material. They tested different temperatures, how hard they pressed, and different types of sand. They found that desert sand actually works well when used in this way. The new material became so strong that it can be used to make paving stones for pavements and walkways... (MORE - details)