Formed over a long geological time period, sand is a naturally-occurring, non-renewable, finite resource. Although it’s the most used resource on our planet after water, sand can be found in almost every country around the world, and so it’s hard to comprehend that the sand used for processing is becoming scarce. It’s even harder to imagine that we don’t have sufficient for our needs when you think of all the unused desert sand that’s blowing around our planet but, over just the past two decades, the global rate of sand use has tripled.
Urbanisation is one reason for this huge increase in demand for sand but, because of its shape, desert sand isn’t suitable for further processing into, for example, concrete, glass or asphalt. Over time, the action of the wind on its surface creates a sand which is smooth and rounded in shape, and this prevents the sand locking together during processing. Instead, angular sand is required for processing but, although it exists in its natural form on the seabed, in riverbeds, and on our beaches, this type of sand is much scarcer, and more difficult to extract.
Worldwide demand for angular sand is now so high that the seabed, riverbeds and coastlines are being destroyed for it; sometimes to such an extent that it has terminal consequences for our environment. Mining sands from the seabed is responsible for the destruction of coral reefs, discarded ecosystems, and the loss of food for marine life.
Further consequences of sand mining include it’s potential to cause beaches and small islands to sink, which allows salt water to reach our groundwater more easily; causing salination which can have seriously damaging effects for agriculture. In addition, excessive sand mining can have the disastrous consequence of destroying the last natural protective barrier against rising sea levels.
To avoid such dilemmas, much more reliance is being placed on the production of artificial angular sand. Artificial sand, often referred to as ‘manufactured’ sand, is produced by crushing rock and stone until it’s reduced to the size of sand, yet still retaining the angular form desirable for further processing. In recent years, the use of naturally occurring angular sand has decreased significantly, whereas demand for artificially-produced sand has increased enormously.
In order to satisfy this surge in demand, specialised sand-manufacturing equipment such as the HAZEMAG Tertiary Impactor is required. HAZEMAG’s HTI Series of Tertiary Impact Crushers are specifically-designed for the economical crushing of hard rock. The HAZEMAG Impact Crusher is a modular system, capable of fulfilling any required duty in the bulk materials industry, and a machine that is highly capable of crushing material into different product types, from coarse through to fine, and with throughput capacities ranging from 40 to 160 tonnes per hour.
Operators can expect a HAZEMAG Impact Crusher to achieve a long working lifespan, and its four generous doors simplify maintenance and servicing by making the machine accessible from both sides. Blow bars can be inserted laterally, enabling quick and easy replacement, and the symmetrical design of the impact crusher makes it possible to reverse the rotor direction; allowing for maximum usage of blow bar edges. In addition, the feed chute helps to achieve consistent wear of the blow bars by ensuring optimal distribution of material across the entire width of the rotor. Furthermore, because the edges of the sand manufactured using a HAZEMAG Impact Crusher are more angular in shape than those in naturally- occurring angular sand, the artificially-produced grains grip better and are even more suitable for processing.
Thanks to the HTI Series of HAZEMAG Impact Crushers there is a sustainable solution to the global sand shortage, and the machine’s long lifespan further supports and emphasises the significance of sustainability.
