Artificial sand is gradually replacing natural sand.

Currently, only one licensed sand and gravel mine in the province is located at the alluvial plain of Team 4, Tan My (Phong My commune, Phong Dien district). The supply of natural sand for construction is mainly imported by businesses from neighboring provinces and cities ( Quang Nam , Quang Tri, etc.) and stockpiled at planned sand and gravel yards, which somewhat increases the supply of construction sand throughout the province. However, this dependence on natural sand from other provinces, while construction demand is quite high, has driven up the price of sand to nearly 400,000 VND/m³.

According to calculations by the Department of Construction, during the period 2020-2030, the province's demand for construction sand will exceed its sand mining capacity, necessitating research and the use of alternative materials. Since 2020, the Provincial People's Committee has issued a plan to implement the use of crushed sand (artificial sand) in state-funded construction projects managed by the Provincial People's Committee.

With the goal of using approximately 80% artificial sand to replace natural sand in the province by 2026, limiting the exploitation of riverbed sand; and by 2030, eliminating the use of natural sand extracted from riverbeds as construction material, replacing it with sand dredged from hydroelectric reservoirs, inland sand, crushed sand, and sand milled from construction waste.

Currently, there are two enterprises in the province producing artificial sand crushed from construction stone: Xuan Long Cooperative, at the crushing site in Bac Khe Ly area (Huong Tho commune, Hue City) and Truong Son Investment and Trade Development Joint Stock Company, at the Khe Bang crushing plant (Huong Van ward, Huong Tra town), according to the plan to deploy crushed sand in state-funded construction projects managed by the Provincial People's Committee. However, our investigation reveals that, despite entering the peak construction season, the amount of artificial sand used in construction projects is quite "modest".

In response to the province's policy, since 2020, on the existing 7.7-hectare plot of land, Truong Son Investment and Trade Development Joint Stock Company has been leased land by the Provincial People's Committee to operate a construction material processing yard. The company has allocated a portion of the area to install a stone crushing plant and a finished artificial sand storage yard with a capacity of 110,000 m3/year, with a total investment of 4 billion VND.

Mr. Ho Anh Bao, General Director of Truong Son Investment and Trading Development Joint Stock Company, said that investing in a project to produce artificial sand from granite for use as a common construction material meets market demand. At the same time, it implements the State's policy of reducing the exploitation of natural sand in riverbeds to ensure ecological environment protection.

The project's product is artificial sand with a particle size of 0.75-3mm, produced by a sand crushing line with a total capacity of 110,000 m3/year. It utilizes locally available raw materials, is environmentally friendly, and provides the market with high-quality artificial sand products that have high load-bearing capacity, meet standard sizes, and are more affordable than natural sand.

Similarly, many years ago, Xuan Long Cooperative invested in a lot of machinery and equipment to serve the production of crushed sand in the North Khe Ly area. Mr. Vo Van Thang, Director of Xuan Long Cooperative, said that although artificial sand is of high quality, meets construction standards, and is cheaper than natural sand (295,000 VND/m3 compared to about 380,000 VND/m3 for natural sand currently), the cooperative's designed production capacity is 251,000 m3 of crushed sand per year, but only consumes an average of about 10,000 m3 per year.

According to the Department of Construction, the plan to implement the use of crushed sand in state-funded construction projects managed by the Provincial People's Committee aims to completely cease the use of natural sand as a leveling material. Natural sand will not be used as a foundation treatment material.

The relevant authorities are studying regional planning and have plans to build factories producing artificial building materials that meet technical standards to meet the large-scale supply demands of the market. The province encourages quarrying and processing facilities for building materials to invest in additional crushed sand production lines that meet standards and are compatible with their licensed mining capacity.

The use of artificial sand in state-funded construction projects managed by the Provincial People's Committee should be implemented for concrete structures with a strength grade of 200 or lower (foundation concrete, base concrete, etc.), mortar for foundations, and steps. The use of artificial sand in load-bearing concrete structures and other components of construction projects is encouraged, ensuring quality and safety. In cases where commercial concrete manufacturers produce concrete using crushed sand that meets quality standards, their use in construction projects is encouraged.

The Provincial People's Committee also requested relevant departments and agencies to strengthen propaganda, promotion, guidance, and encouragement for investors and people to actively use artificial sand in construction products to boost the consumption market in the province. Investors should prioritize the use of artificial sand to replace natural sand in construction projects. Research should be conducted on measures to reduce input costs to lower the price of artificial sand products, and to control the quality of artificial sand to ensure it meets the national technical standards of the Ministry of Construction .

According to the plan for deploying the use of artificial sand in state-funded construction projects managed by the Provincial People's Committee, the period from 2023-2024 aims to boost the use of artificial sand, with production meeting and putting into use approximately 50% of the demand; from 2025 onwards, regulations will be put into use for the use of artificial sand in concrete and mortar for projects using state budget funds; by 2026, over 80% of crushed sand will be used in the province to replace natural sand, limiting the exploitation of riverbed sand.

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