A new report has highlighted how “critical” the industrial sand market is to several key British sectors.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) has released its Industrial Sand Future Markets report, which analyses the current market in Britain and future consumption trends.
Industrial sand, due to its high-purity silica, is key to the production of many products, including glass, glass fibre ceramics, metal castings, rail braking systems, chemicals, and agriculture.
Overall, the report shows that industrial sand production in Britain declined from 2018 to 2023. In 2018, 4.9 million tonnes (Mt) of industrial sand were produced compared to 4.7Mt in 2023. In a broader sense, production of industrial sand has remained close to 5Mt for the past two decades, which is in line with recent numbers. Of this, the north west of England is the largest producing region, but the report showed that industrial sand reserves have dropped overall by five per cent since 2018.
“Where industrial sand comes from matters because downstream manufacturers rely on narrow specifications of materials that can only be sourced from a handful of quarries, and mineral deposits are not readily interchangeable,” MPA director of planning and industrial minerals Nick Horsley said.
“Government policy makers have yet to realise that industrial sand is the non-metallic mineral backbone of the country’s energy transition, let alone its extensive array of other uses. Right now, it’s vital to ensure that UK reserves, planning permissions and supply chains keep pace with demand.
“For producers this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. By securing sustainable domestic production of industrial sand, the industry can secure its place in underpinning the UK’s ambitions for clean energy – proving once again that the path to net zero is less about policy and innovation, and more about the raw resources beneath our feet.”
