Construction Aggregates Essential Raw Materials for Infrastructure...

Construction Aggregates Essential Raw Materials for Infrastructure Development

Posted 2024-02-12 10:34:13

Growing Aggregate Demand and Supply Scenario
The ever expanding construction sector globally is a major driver of aggregate demand. In developing nations, core infrastructure development comprising roads, railways, ports, airports together with large housing projects fuel significant annual growth in the consumption of crushed stone, sand and gravel. Thus, sufficient availability of aggregates from both mining of new reserves and maximizing recycled content assume prime importance. However, over-exploitation, lack of proper mine planning and depletion of easily accessible reserves near populated areas pose supply constraints in many developing markets. This necessitates integrated planning and management of aggregate resources alongside augmenting supply through efficient recycling of CDW materials.

Environmental and Social Issues
Rampant mining of riverbeds and wasteful transport of Construction Aggregates over long distances affect local ecology, biodiversity and livelihoods. Problems associated with quarrying include ground instability, noise and dust pollution, damage to agricultural land and disruption of catchment areas. Furthermore, unscientific and unrestricted mining in sensitive zones like forests and coastal regulation zones often invite civic and legal issues. Greenfield mining projects face intense public scrutiny and opposition due to environmental concerns. Hence, sustainable aggregate production through scientific planning, adoption of latest mining techniques, measures to minimize ecological impacts and community engagement have become imperatives.

Advancing Sustainable Construction Aggregate Management
With the infrastructure sector projected to grow exponentially in the coming decades, ensuring reliable and responsible sourcing of aggregates will be a major challenge. Some options to enhance aggregate supply sustainability are increased utilization of excavated materials from construction sites, use of artificial sand through proper beneficiation techniques, setting up dedicated processing facilities for recycling CDW at state level, mandatory use of certain percentage of recycled content as per specifications, encouraging manufactured sand in place of river sand in deficit regions, satellite mapping and exploring potential new mining zones, and promotion of aggregate productivity through research and innovations. Rigorous compliance to environmental norms and balancing stakeholders’ interests through inclusive policies are also vital cogs in sustainable aggregate resource management going forward

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