International Top Journal Paper: "A Systems Approach to Closing the Global Sand Circularity Gap"

Recently, a research team led by Professor Cao Zhi and Associate Professor Chu Chunli from the College of Environmental Science and Engineering at Nankai University collaborated with renowned scholars from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Austria), Leiden University (Netherlands), and the University of Oxford (UK). Their review paper, titled "Closing the global sand circularity gap needs a systems approach" (Chinese title: 全球砂石资源循环缺口系统解决方案), was published in One Earth, a journal under the Cell Press umbrella. This paper systematically outlines the historical evolution, current status, challenges, and potential solutions for global sand resource metabolism, providing critical scientific and practical guidance for sustainable sand management.

The Urgency of Sand Circularity
As the world’s most extracted solid mineral resource, sand plays a vital role in construction, land reclamation, and industrial production. Global annual sand consumption for concrete has exceeded 20 billion tons since 2011, accounting for nearly 50% of non-metal resource extraction. With population growth, economic development, and accelerated urbanization, this demand is projected to rise further. However, sand’s finite nature and over-exploitation have triggered severe regional crises, including coastal erosion, delta shrinkage, and social conflicts from illegal mining. Addressing this requires a systemic shift toward a closed-loop sand economy.

Figure 1: Historical Trends and Future Projections of Global Demand for Sand and Gravel in Concrete

Key Findings
Circularity Gap Defined: The "sand circularity gap" measures the imbalance between total sand demand and recycled supply. By 2060, global concrete sand demand is projected to outstrip demolition-derived supply by 11.4 billion tons, particularly impacting low-income regions.

Figure 2: Global Life-Cycle Management Strategies for Closing the Sand Circularity Gap

Mitigation Strategies: Material efficiency improvements—such as denser construction, extended building lifespans, lightweight design, and recycled aggregates—could halve this gap. A systems approach integrating technical, policy, and social measures is critical.

Stakeholder Collaboration: Sustainable sand management requires alignment across industries, policymakers, academia, and communities. The paper maps roles and opportunities for stakeholders at every lifecycle stage (mining, design, recycling, etc.).

Figure 3: Stakeholders and Potential Linkages Across the Sand Resource Lifecycle

Publication Details
The paper, published online on February 21, 2025, in One Earth, is co-authored by Cao Zhi and Chu Chunli as first authors, with Xiaoyang Zhong (Leiden University and IIASA) as the corresponding author. Contributions also came from Liu Jia and Su Xiaoke (Nankai University) and Paul Behrens (Leiden and Oxford). Funding was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Nankai University’s "Hundred Young Talents" program.

This work serves as a landmark guide for advancing sand sustainability globally, urging coordinated action to bridge the circularity gap.
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