Sand is an essential Foundation of the industrial society. After air and water, it is the most used raw material in the world. Happen there is enough and still, the Sand is running out.
Sand there are in Abundance, and thus, he does not appear to many even more valuable. This impression is deceptive, because in some Parts of the world, for example, in Singapore, and even in the desert state of Dubai, sand for construction so scarce that he needs to be imported in spite of his high weight. Because the desert sand is not the same sand for construction.
Sand is used for building and roads, because a large part of our structures is built with reinforced concrete. And concrete is, in turn, to 80 per cent of Rock and Sand (also made of water and cement). Also traffic trails Rock need in different sized grit: a kilometre of motorway consumes alone about 216,000 tons of Sand, gravel and grit.
We are always in need of more Sand and gravel
In the future, the demand for Sand will increase further with a growing world population the need of roads, bridges, houses, airports, and many more grows to build. The global construction boom, the sand demand in 20 years has tripled, says the UN environment programme, UNEP. Exact Figures are not available, but estimates that between 30 and 50 billion tons of Sand and gravel are consumed worldwide per year.
Thus, a 20-Meter-wide and 20-Meter-high wall could, theoretically, around the Equator to build and every year! While we put more and more Sand and gravel in construction projects, it takes nature thousands of years to create new Sand.
There is plenty of Sand on the earth
“We are lucky in Germany that we have practically infinite supplies of Sand and gravel,” said Harald Elsner from the German Federal Institute for geography and natural resources (BGR). To calculate the amounts he considers to be frivolous, but he is sure they would still be rich for thousands of years. In Germany, we would have to make us so no Worries that there is not enough construction sand and gravel, so Elsner.
To 90 percent of the surface of the earth, there is no shortage of Sand, says Elsner. “We have in some areas, in Africa and in Asia problems”, so the raw material expert from the BGR. About the Situation in China, so in the case of the allegedly largest consumer of Sand and gravel, would you know little – “up to now have not come, but to ears that there are problems”. His conclusion: “Sand and gravel is in high demand in infinite quantities, but it is also the raw material that is most available in the world.”
Sand and gravel mining in Colombia.
Nevertheless, he is in Germany just
A deficiency in Germany there is not so, however, Sand and gravel are scarce and the consequences are already visible. “You don’t get as earlier of any Sand and gravel for construction, but there are now waiting periods of up to three weeks until enough Material is available,” says Elsner.
The excess demand has, of course, the prices. Elsner predicts price increases of five to ten per cent in the year for Sand and gravel. But why longer mined in Germany is not easy when there are so great?
About 99 percent of the Sand and gravel areas are simply used differently, explains Elser. In water or landscape protection, you could reduce areas, nor Sand and gravel, such as where there is already infrastructure.
Low interest rates and approvals
In addition, the low interest rates are some of the potential gravel pit stand in the way. Many farmers do not consider it economical to sell their Land to gravel pit operators. Hope you prefer it, that the value of the soil increases, as you can expect with an alternative investment on the capital market is not a high rate of return.
Not every farmer is willing to sell his Land for Sand and gravel removal
Raimo Benger, managing Director of the construction materials Association of Vero is complaining: “We have no shortage of material, but a licensing defect”. It would not simply be given enough permits for sand and gravel plants. Often the environment would be right for entrepreneurs in the way. So Europe is, for example, that rare species need to be protected. It would not, however, always checked in each individual case, whether an economic activity protection, however, with the types to be compatible, angry Benger.
Can gravel pits, and even the protection of species promote?
The industry Association has repeatedly stressed that while Sand and gravel mining, but also in the later renatured gravel habitat for rare animal species would occur pits. At first, this sounds nice. Christian Chwallek from the German nature conservation Association Nabu NRW, but bear in mind that by gravel excavations all other species would benefit from a new habitat, including rare species. “But others, just as endangered species are losing their habitat. Because for the species in the agricultural landscape, significant areas of withdrawal will be lost”, explains the environmentalist.
Add to this that the gravel excavations are compared to the past a lot of large-scale. Thus, up to 100 hectares would incur large gravel and dredging of lakes. Not only animals from the Sand and gravel mining affected, as supplemented Chwallek, the person receives the consequences of this large reduction to feel surfaces. “The are, in the truest sense of the word, open wounds for the drinking water reservoirs, because the protective layers of rock are dug. Just along the Rhine, we have great drinking water reservoirs, which are protected by the Gravel and, of course, be cleaned.” These surfaces have to be protected, calls for Chwallek.
Also in the Rhine Sand and gravel is mined
We would consume our sand budget faster than we can produce it responsibly, it was said only in reference to Germany, by Joyce Msuya, the Director of the environmental program of the United Nations (UNEP). The removal needs to be better regulated so that infrastructure and nature can go Hand in Hand. Mainly because of the annual demand for Sand and gravel will continue to increase worldwide per year, 5.5 per cent, according to a recent study by the United Nations.