China transforms 7 billion tons of coal waste into sand, gravel, and bricks for construction and attempts to reduce the pressure on rivers, quarries, and former mining areas.

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 15/06/2026 at 21:26

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As China tries to reduce pressure on rivers and quarries, coal waste accumulated over decades is beginning to find new use in construction, in automated factories that transform toxic waste into sand, gravel, unburned bricks, and other industrial materials.

China accumulates about 7 billion tons of coal waste and has started transforming part of this environmental liability into sand, gravel, and bricks for construction, in an attempt to reduce the impacts of mining and natural sand extraction.

Coal waste becomes raw material in Shanxi

In Gaoping County, in southeastern China, a recycling facility has begun operations aimed at reusing coal gangue, an ultra-hard and toxic rock residue generated after coal mining and washing.

The unit is located in Shanxi, the country’s main coal-producing province, and operates with a daily production similar to that of a common quarry. About 1,000 tons of sand, gravel, and unburned bricks are destined for the construction sector.

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Technology separates, crushes, and purifies the waste

Coal waste can contaminate water, spread dust in the air, and cause spontaneous fires when not properly managed. Less than 60% of this volume has been reused, leaving a large mass of waste without productive application.

At the Gaoping unit, automated systems classify the received waste with X-ray separation equipment. Then, the material undergoes crushing, screening, and purification, generating manufactured aggregates and eco-friendly unburned bricks.

This type of brick dispenses with the high-temperature burning process, associated with high emissions. Local authorities also cite applications in ceramics and high-tech coatings for spacecraft.

Substitution of natural sand has technical limits

The strategy is part of a broader circular economy. China consumes almost half of the sand and gravel used in construction worldwide, pressure that has affected fragile river ecosystems.

Replacing natural sand with coal waste can tackle two problems at once: reducing waste piles and decreasing sand extraction. Research also indicates that construction and demolition waste could supply half of China’s demand by 2050.

The advancement, however, does not eliminate restrictions. Aggregates made from coal waste still represent a small fraction of annual consumption and are not suitable for high-strength structures, such as skyscraper pillars or large bridges.

Toxicity tests are also mandatory to prevent the release of heavy metals in future constructions. The Chinese experience shows an industrial path to reuse waste, but it depends on technical control, scale, and safety.

What do you think of this solution for coal waste: can it be a real alternative to reduce natural sand extraction or does it still seem too limited to change the construction sector? Share your opinion and say which precautions should come first.

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China transforms 7 billion tons of coal waste into sand, gravel, and bricks for construction and attempts to reduce the pressure on rivers, quarries, and former mining areas.

As China tries to reduce pressure on rivers and quarries, coal waste accumulated over decades is beginning to find new use in construction, in automated factories that transform toxic waste into sand, gravel, unburned bricks, and other industrial materials.

Coal waste becomes raw material in Shanxi

Technology separates, crushes, and purifies the waste

Substitution of natural sand has technical limits

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China transforms 7 billion tons of coal waste into sand, gravel, and bricks for construction and attempts to reduce the pressure on rivers, quarries, and former mining areas.

As China tries to reduce pressure on rivers and quarries, coal waste accumulated over decades is beginning to find new use in construction, in automated factories that transform toxic waste into sand, gravel, unburned bricks, and other industrial materials.

Coal waste becomes raw material in Shanxi

Technology separates, crushes, and purifies the waste

Substitution of natural sand has technical limits

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

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Toyota launches “family hybrid van” with 7 or 8 seats, 1.8 hybrid engine, fuel consumption of up to 23.8 km/l, and a price equivalent to about R$ 104,000 without taxes, below the Tiggo 8 Pro Plug-in Hybrid sold in Brazil: meet the Noah Hybrid 2026 in Japan.

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