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THIS CONTENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology - read more

Can desert sand be used to build houses and roads?

The planet may run out of sand suitable for concrete. Researchers are therefore testing desert sand as a material.

Bright orange sand dune ridge stretching towards distant desert hills.

Researchers in Norway and Japan have created sand concrete by pressing desert sand with tiny pieces of wood using heat.

(Stock photo: Colourbox)

Maria Lillemoen Maria Lillemoen Maria Lillemoen COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER

Presented by: Presented by: Presented by: NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Published 27 February 2026 - 00:02

Concrete is the world’s most used building material – second only to water.

Globally, more than four billion tonnes of cement are produced every year.

Concrete consumption is so enormous that it accounts for around eight per cent of the world’s CO₂ emissions.

To make concrete, sand is needed, and not just any sand: it must be of the right size and shape.

Therefore, rock is crushed into gravel and sand, and river sand is excavated on a large scale. This results in major environmental impacts and an increasing scarcity of suitable sand.

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'The challenge is that desert sand is so fine-grained that it's not suitable as a fastener in concrete,' says researcher Ren Wei. — "The challenge is that desert sand is so fine-grained that it's not suitable as a fastener in concrete," says researcher Ren Wei.

Herein lies the paradox: While we empty rivers and crush mountains to obtain sand, there are enormous amounts of sand in the world’s deserts.

But it's too fine-grained to be used in traditional concrete. Can this 'useless' sand become a resource?

New solution: Botanical sand concrete

Researchers have discussed for many years whether desert sand can be used in concrete.

"The challenge is that desert sand is so fine-grained that it's not suitable as a fastener in concrete," says Ren Wei.

He is a researcher at NTNU's Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering.

"In other words, the concrete will not be hard enough to be used in construction projects,” he says.

Ren Wei and several researchers at NTNU and the University of Tokyo have made a prototype of a new material: botanical sand concrete.

It combines desert sand with plant-based additives and is made by pressing desert sand and tiny pieces of wood together with heat.

Works on pavements and walkways

The researchers tried many different ways of creating this material. They tested different temperatures, how hard they pressed, and different types of sand.

They found that desert sand actually works well when used in this way.

The new material became so strong that it can be used to make paving stones for pavements and walkways.

In the study, the researchers conducted a comparative analysis of botanical sand concrete made with desert sand and other types of sand.

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“All the experiments so far have been carried out in the laboratory at the University of Tokyo. We tested how various factors affect the strength and density of the materials, including temperature, mixing ratio, pressure, pressing time, and different types of sand,” says Wei.

Seven labelled piles of different construction powders arranged in a row on white. — (a) Ground fine-aggregate sand powder, (b) wood powder, (c) concrete powder, (d) untreated sand from the Namib Desert, (e) slag aggregate powder, (f) granite (Mikageishi) powder, and (g) silica sand no. 8.

Can reduce environmental impacts

If it turns out that botanical sand concrete can be used for different construction projects, it can reduce the need to crush mountains and collect river sand – and thus reduce the impact on the environment.

It can also help utilise sand resources that currently create challenges in desert areas.

“The production process is relatively simple, so in principle the material can be made in many places. But we need to test more, including how it can withstand cold, before it can be used in Norway,” says Ren Wei.

Rock crushing machinery producing sand and aggregate in a quarry. — Today, we crush rock to obtain sand for concrete.

Possible solution to a global paradox

Ren Wei emphasises that in order to get the greatest possible environmental benefit, desert sand must be used in the areas where it is found, so that shipping desert sand around the world does not become the new environmental culprit.

For now, the researchers envisage using this concrete indoors.

With further development, botanical sand concrete could become part of the sustainable building materials of the future – and perhaps solve a global paradox: that we crush mountains while drowning in sand.

Reference:

Wei et al. Botanical sandcrete: An environment-friendly alternative way to the mass utilization of fine (desert) sand, Journal of Building Engineering, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2025.114078

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Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no