KEY POINTS
- Aggregates (sand, gravel, and stones) make up half of all materials extracted worldwide—with China alone consuming about half of that total.
- China has shifted from river‑mined sand and gravel to quarry‑produced crushed stone, but that practice has its own problems.
- By 2050, research suggests recycled aggregates from demolished buildings and roads could keep around 70% of building waste out of landfills.
A recent study is giving a glimpse into the future of sustainable construction and how we may get our most basic building materials.
It all boils down to aggregates: the sand, gravel, and small stones used to bulk out concrete and asphalt. According to researchers at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, aggregates account for half of all globally extracted materials, and China uses half of the world’s supply.
The researchers decided to take a deep dive into China’s aggregate consumption. In the end, they found that unused buildings may be the new river stones.
What are the details of the study?
The study, first published in Nature Communications in October 2025, traced the movement of aggregates through 31 Chinese provinces and 30 types of construction, dating back to 1978. Back then, collecting aggregates mostly meant extracting them from rivers, other bodies of water, and natural pits. Of course, that approach raises sustainability issues: too much demand can damage local environments and deplete easily accessible supplies.
How did China stop pulling too much aggregate from nature?
The researchers then noticed a major shift in China. Most suppliers have eschewed natural sand and stone for manufactured aggregate from rock quarries. Before 2005, more than 80% of China’s aggregates came from natural sources. Now, nearly 80% comes from manufactured crushed stone.
But that doesn’t fully solve the sustainability issue.
While more rivers and natural sites are kept intact, an increase in rock quarries creates its own strain on landscapes and ecosystems.
How can old buildings become new buildings?
The team at Tsinghua then took a look at China’s aging buildings and infrastructure. As those sites become unusable and are eventually demolished, the researchers posed the question of whether all that building waste could be recycled into the country’s next big aggregate source.
Using the same patterns they identified in China’s transition from natural to manufactured aggregate, they argue that nearly half of the country’s needs could be met by using recycled aggregate by 2050.
That practice, in turn, would result in about 70% of all Chinese building waste being put back into use instead of ending up in a landfill.
Is similar work being done in the U.S.?
This isn’t the only research being done on new ways to get concrete. The U.S. Army is currently conducting tests on how deployed soldiers could use local materials to 3D print barriers and other concrete structures in the field.
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