In the context of natural sand resources for construction materials are decreasing and are forecasted to be in short supply in the near future, artificial sand (crushed sand) is considered one of the alternative solutions. However, for many different reasons, up to now, the consumption of this material has only stopped at the internal level of enterprises.
Artificial sand can completely replace natural sand as a conventional building material.
According to the Department of Construction, there are currently 18 artificial sand production lines from stone in the province with a total capacity of 1,390,000 m3/year. In which, the enterprises owning the lines with large capacity are Hoang Tuan Company Limited, Tan Thanh 2 Company Limited, Nghi Son 36 Joint Stock Company, Ha Lien Construction and Trading Company Limited... These enterprises all have production lines with a registered capacity of 150,000 m3/year and are licensed to exploit stone quarries or produce ready-mixed concrete.
According to some business owners, the new investment level for each production line with large capacity (over 100,000m3/year) ranges from over 10 billion to under 20 billion VND, mainly imported from abroad. Artificial sand products crushed from stone have also been recognized by competent authorities as conforming to current regulations. Meanwhile, artificial sand is considered to have more uniform particles, ensuring stone strength, no impurities because the grinding process has been washed many times, helping to save cement and shorten construction time, increasing the life of the project. However, the consumption of this product is only limited to the internal level of the enterprise. That is, the enterprise produces and consumes for its own use.
Nghi Son 36 Joint Stock Company in Vuc Industrial Park, Thanh Hoa City has invested and put into operation an artificial sand production line since September 2023 with a value of more than 10 billion VND. The company carefully selected input materials from quarries in Nghi Son town and Yen Lam town (Yen Dinh). During the production process, the stones are washed through 3 times of high pressure water to remove impurities as well as stone dust. According to Mr. Trinh Dinh Sang, Deputy Director of Nghi Son 36 Joint Stock Company, although the line can produce 90m3 - 120m3/h, on average the company only operates the machine for about 8 hours per day, meeting the raw material needs for its commercial fresh concrete production.
Meanwhile, if more production is produced, this source of construction materials will become redundant. Because up to now, the enterprise has not received any orders or inquiries to buy artificial sand to produce unburnt bricks, or construction sand. According to Mr. Trinh Van Sang, the reason is mainly due to the consumer psychology of still being afraid of artificial sand, leaning towards natural sand. Meanwhile, the ready-mixed concrete products of Nghi Son 36 Joint Stock Company are highly appreciated by consumers for their quality.
Similarly, Tan Thanh 2 Company Limited with 2 artificial sand production lines, in Cam Thuy and Ha Trung districts, is mainly to serve its own needs. The line located in Ha Son commune (Ha Trung) is invested in a more systematic and modern way, and can grind and produce 5 types of construction stone materials, including artificial sand. Investing in this line not only helps the enterprise have a source of raw materials to produce fresh concrete, but also recovers broken stones during the stone mining process. On the line, raw stones are washed with high pressure water before crushing and continue to be washed after the crushing process, so the artificial sand is quite uniform in grain size and has no impurities.
However, according to the company's deputy director, Mr. Le Duc Vu, currently the crushed sand product mainly serves the company's need to produce fresh concrete, a part is sold to Ninh Binh province for fresh concrete production enterprises or construction sand. The selling price of artificial sand is much lower than natural sand, while it saves cement during the construction process. But so far, no people or enterprises in the province have asked or ordered the company's artificial sand for construction purposes. Therefore, the company only operates the production line an average of 8 hours/day.
From the perspective of State management, Deputy Head of the Construction Materials Management Department, Nguyen Huu Duc, said: "According to the planning until 2030, the sand reserves in the province will reach about 18 million m3, but the demand is forecast to be about 26.01 million m3, still lacking about 8.01 million m3. This demand does not include the source of construction sand for national projects in the area and the need to build houses. To make up for this shortage, artificial sand is part of the solution. This source of material also plays a role in reducing the demand for natural sand, reducing the phenomenon of illegal sand mining causing landslides on riverbeds, ensuring security and order in localities with natural sand mines. However, at present, people are still not interested in this source of sand.
Also due to consumer concerns, currently the artificial sand production lines in the province only stop at concrete sand products. If producing plastering sand, businesses only need to replace the sieve at a cost of less than 100 million VND. However, with the current mentality of people preferring natural sand, many business owners believe that even if they produce artificial plastering sand, businesses will not be able to sell it.
With many advantages, artificial sand is considered a "green" solution for the construction industry. To stimulate production, the Government has also issued policies to stimulate production. In Thanh Hoa, the Provincial People's Council also issued Resolution 20/2021/NQ-HDND on "Policy to encourage the development of science and technology to become a breakthrough in the socio-economic development of Thanh Hoa province in the period of 2021-2025". In this resolution, the province will support up to 30% of the total investment value, including: Costs of purchasing machinery and equipment; technology transfer; training costs for organizations, households and individuals investing in artificial sand production lines with a capacity of 50 tons/hour or more. However, according to the Department of Science and Technology (the agency that receives applications for policy support), since the resolution took effect, the department has not received any applications from businesses, organizations or individuals. The main reason, according to many business owners, is that the criteria for support are too high and businesses cannot meet them.
Obviously, the consumer psychology is the deciding factor in the development of artificial sand, not necessarily because businesses cannot invest in more modern production lines. Because if the State partially supports investment in machinery and equipment, businesses still have to worry about product output for long-term development. And when people still prefer natural sand, the future of this "green" material source is still full of difficulties.
Article and photos: Do Duc
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/cat-nhan-tao-van-kho-tiep-can-thi-truong-224972.htm
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