Sand mining in Russia and the world: hidden environmental losses. Quarry sand extraction technology Industry that deals with sand extraction

Sand mining in a quarry has many nuances. Natural sand, mined in natural conditions, is a rock with a loose structure. The mixture may include various grains of natural minerals. Different types of sand are successfully used for construction. In most cases, river or quarry is used, but the second type has in great demand due to the low price as well as good properties. To purchase the necessary high-quality material for construction, you will need to study all the main characteristics and varieties quarry sand. And to find out how to open a sand mining business, you will need to familiarize yourself with the possible expenses and the list of necessary documents.

The main property of sand extracted from quarries is the absence of various impurities, as well as its maximum purity.

There are also a number of unchanged characteristics:

1. The fraction can vary in size from 1.5 to 5 mm.
2. Sand contains a small amount of dust, clay, and other impurities. This figure does not exceed 0.03%. If the value is exceeded, the quality of the composition deteriorates greatly and the material becomes unsuitable for construction needs.
3. The density of sand is 1.6 grams per cubic centimeter.

These are the main characteristics of quarry sand that you should pay special attention to when purchasing. Even minor changes can lead to major changes in the properties of the composition.

Quarry sand is divided into fine, coarse and medium fractions. This parameter should also be clarified upon purchase, since the diameter of the sand grains is very important during construction and mixing of cement composition.

The shades of the material can also vary greatly from each other and have a brown or amber-yellow color - depending on the quarry being mined, as well as the location of the deposit. This parameter must be taken into account only in the case of decorative sand treatment of some surface. During construction, the color indicator does not matter.

Varieties

Quarry sand is a unique material for construction needs, which can also be successfully used in industry and the national economy. Arrangement private territory or the construction of road surfaces - the material is key in these processes. And this explains the increased demand for sand from the quarry.

Since mining sites can be located at a considerable distance from each other, the composition of the resulting material varies. For this reason, each type of sand has a different structure, composition, and grain size. To find out the final properties of sand, it is also necessary to study the methods of its extraction:

1. Screening.
2. Washing.
3. Open method.

All this will directly affect the type of material obtained.

According to the processing method that is used after obtaining the material, sand is divided into several varieties.

Alluvial

Alluvial sand is mined in quarries and other deposits using hydromechanical equipment. Using this technology, sand is obtained as clean as possible; it does not contain various impurities and other components harmful to the characteristics.

The equipment used makes it possible to immediately remove all unnecessary components during mining by leaching. That is why the method got its name - alluvial. This type of sand is the most appropriate for the production of bricks and concrete, and is also often used in construction various types premises, reinforced concrete products, as well as road construction.

Seeded

The name of the method speaks for itself. Screened sand is extracted using technical-mechanical screening, as a result of which the material is separated from large stones and particles. This method is considered quite simple. As a result, sand is used for making plaster or cement mortars, as well as for pouring cement.

This technique is also often used on private properties to separate large particles from the underlying sand material.

Sandy

Sandy sand is an unrefined mixture obtained from quarries. After mining, they remain in the sand various components(impurities) that are not removed during the process. The price for the material is the lowest, but the scope of use is limited, and therefore the material is not so widespread. Sand is used to fill the trench and level the terrain on the site. This variety is not suitable for more serious construction operations, since additional impurities greatly impair the characteristics.

Features of the mining process

The most popular open method production when construction companies bulldozers, excavators and other similar equipment are used. This method is the cheapest, but the disadvantage is that sand is not useful for all types of work.

Quarry sand mined in this way is mined in the upper layers of the soil, and therefore miners use the method of opening the top layer, and sometimes even explosives. The last nuance makes the business of extracting building materials dangerous.

There are times when the quarry is flooded with water. This situation should not stop miners, and special equipment has been developed to solve the problem. In this case, a dredging device is used, which is a powerful pump with which sand is extracted from the depths. Stability equipment is secured with anchors and powerful cables. You can also place it on board a specially equipped vessel. The sand that is sucked into the device is called pulp - it passes through the pulp channel, which is designed to filter out various harmful particles and impurities.

An important point is that after this process, the water returns to the quarry, and therefore there can be no talk of any drying. This method of extraction does not cause harm environment. This is a description of the hydromechanized method.

There are also other cases when more specific equipment is used. It is not used regularly. For example, builders can use special sieves to sift out large stones and other particles. Using this method, it takes much longer to extract sand - this is the reason for its unpopularity. An ordinary metal mesh is also used, through which the sand is sifted by the hands of workers.

When the development of a new quarry begins, construction companies prepare all calculations and document them, and also coordinate their activities with the state. Without the necessary official papers, it is impossible to obtain permission to mine sand.

Areas of application

Since quarry sand has good quality and complies with certain GOSTs, it is often used in the construction industry, decoration and agriculture. Sand is especially often used for making concrete and bricks, as well as for the construction of residential buildings and roads.

Alluvial sand, which has a large fraction, has become very popular in production good type concrete, as well as when creating reinforced concrete structures.

Quarrying sand is in demand because the materials are often used to build masonry, paving slabs and street curbs.

Since some types of sand do not contain impurities, they have good strength and will last for many years. For this reason, it is so important to study all the provided documentation and GOSTs before purchasing, otherwise there is a risk of purchasing low-quality material that will quickly fail.

Sand is used for decorative purposes summer cottages or private buildings, and it is also used in playgrounds.

Sand mining business plan

Since sand mining in a quarry is a popular activity, many entrepreneurs want to start their own business with this activity. But sand mining in industrial scale– the task is not easy. To open such a business, you need to have specific knowledge and also spend a lot of money. It is advisable to draw up a business plan in advance in order to calculate all the costs and know how to properly develop a quarry for sand extraction.

Registration of sand mining activities

To start your own business, you need to know how to register a quarry, and then register the enterprise in accordance with the laws Russian Federation. It is advisable to use an LLC based on the simplified tax system.

After this, the person receives the right to use the chosen quarry, according to the license. The license period will be approximately 5 years or slightly less, and after that the permit will need to be renewed.

Financial plan

To open a business, you need to take into account that large expenses will be required, including:

1. Buying an excavator. The cost will be approximately 1.5 million rubles.
2. A front loader costs about the same amount.
3. A dump truck costs 2.5 million rubles. The load capacity should be 18,000 kg.
4. A trailer for transporting the received material – 500,000 rubles.
5. Walkie-talkies for workers worth 25,000 rubles.
6. One fire shield – 8,000 rubles.
7. Tanks used for filling fuel with a volume of 200 liters cost 28,000 rubles.
8. Tank for filling oil - 9000 rubles.
9. One heater fueled with diesel fuel. Cost – 4000 rubles.
10. Gas stove – 7,000 rubles.
11. Gas cylinder – 3000 rubles.
12. Tank intended for filling drinking water– 5000 rubles.
13. Generator installed on a trailer, flooded diesel fuel, – 350,000 rubles.
14. Desks for workers – 4,000 rubles.
15. Chairs for workers – 2000 rubles.
16. Refrigerator – 5000 rubles.

You will also need to spend additional money on liquids to refill the equipment. A business plan is used to calculate costs.

From all this we can conclude that the total cost will be approximately 10 million rubles.

Based on its origin, sand is divided into the following types: sea, river, mountain (quarry) and dune. Each type of sand is mined in different ways, that is, in completely different ways.

Features of the dry sand extraction method

The most common mining method for quarries is the dry method, or, as it is also called, open. To prevent various impurities from entering the sand, bulldozers or scrapers carry out stripping operations before sand extraction. Overburden is the top layer of soil or clay rocks, under which there are deposits of sand. The stripping ratio is determined by the ratio of the volume of stripping to the volume of pure minerals.

After removing the overburden layer, trenches are laid for transport routes and working benches. The height of the bench depends on the excavator's digging height.

Sand is extracted mainly using single-bucket or multi-bucket excavators. An excavator bucket can hold from a minimum volume of sand - 0.25 m3, to a maximum volume - 15 m3. Sand is extracted in layers if the deposit layer is thick.

Due to the presence of a certain amount of fine clay in the composition, the sand obtained in this way is yellow-orange in color and not the best in its properties. In this regard, the raw material requires additional cleaning, and only after this can sand be used in the preparation of masonry or plaster mortars, the production of bricks, concrete and gas silicate products.

Hydromechanized method for extracting sand for a quarry

Sand is also extracted from quarries using a hydromechanized method, which involves the use of large amounts of water. Water, which is supplied by a pumping station from a nearby reservoir, is thrown out in a dense stream through a hydromonitor with a very high speed. Water erodes the intended sand deposit, while the resulting pulp (hydraulic mixture), while ensuring the required slope, itself flows into hydraulic dumps. It can also be transported through pipes using a dredger.

Thanks to this method, the sand is cleaner; it is separated from stones, plant roots and other unwanted impurities with the help of water.

Hydromechanized method for extracting sand from the bottom of a reservoir

The hydromechanized method is used to extract sand from the bottom of reservoirs. This cannot be done without the help of various technologies. Dredgers, dragline excavators, scrapers, suction dredgers, and centrifugal pumps are fixed to the pontoons using cables, pile devices and anchors. From the bottom of a river or lake, with the help of a dredger and a mechanical ripper, sand enters a pipe and is moved through a floating slurry pipeline to equipped coastal sites - hydraulic dumps. Water drainage and additional cleaning make the sand practically clean, free from foreign contaminants. This natural material is ready for sale for use in any type of construction.

Carrying out construction work, regardless of their complexity, requires the presence of high-quality sand. The construction material It is of natural origin and is mined in special quarries. Due to its enormous popularity, every specialist involved in the construction industry should know how sand is extracted. Having such knowledge, you can assess the relevance of its use for a particular type of construction!

Basic characteristics

In its natural form, it is a sedimentary rock and in most cases consists of the natural mineral quartz. According to composition and origin, it can be divided into several types:

1. Natural, mined through the destruction and subsequent grinding of natural rocks to the state of a homogeneous substance of small grains;
2. Arising from natural phenomena: raw materials related to this species, can be divided into alluvial, colluvial, marine, lacustrine and ash;
3. Heavy artificial, obtained as a result of the deliberate loosening and crushing of various hard mineral rocks. In this case, a substance with different grain sizes and fineness is obtained.

When used for construction purposes, it is important to know where sand is mined, have information about methods of processing it, and also know about other characteristics.

Basic mining and processing methods

To understand how it is obtained, you should study the main sources of its production.

1. River. The most common building material that is mined near riverbeds or from the bottom of rivers and reservoirs. It is characterized by extreme purity and the absence of impurities, clay deposits and small stones;
2. Career. There are two varieties: washed and seeded. In the first case, it is extracted by digging quarries and subsequent crushing of the resulting raw materials by washing and cleaning them from various impurities and deposits. The second option involves drying and further sifting, which allows you to rid the raw materials of harmful impurities.
3. Naturally educated. Current legislation determines that such raw materials can be classified as bulk materials of inorganic origin. According to GOST, it has special requirements for grain size and fineness.

Material extracted from special deposits differs from raw materials from places where river sand is mined. Considering that various repair and construction work may require one type or another, special attention should be paid to the choice.

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