Sand crisis: Mafias thrive as shortages loom

[Klaralven]

...

Sand shortages even sound counterintuitive. Although one-third of the Earth's land surface is classified as desert, much of it sandy, Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia import sand from as far away as Canada and Australia. The 830m-tall Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper in the neighboring United Arab Emirates, was built using imports from the other side of the world.

This is because desert sand holds little value for the construction industry.

When winds blow over dunes, they shape sand particles into spheres. These round balls have less grip than the jagged grains found on riverbeds, beaches and sea floors, which have the friction needed to make concrete strong.

https://www.dw.com/en/sand-crisis-shortage-supply-mafia/a-56714226

A large American company lost their shirt on a contract in Saudi Arabia because they didn't realize that you couldn't use the local desert sand for concrete.

[captain queeg]

1. It's hard to imagine a sand shortage, but then it's hard to imagine the quantities of concrete

Used world wide. I’ve read before this is getting to be a problem.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Well, you'd think little silica spheres would have some kind of application ...

... This type of retroreflector can consist of many small versions of these structures incorporated in a thin sheet or in paint. In the case of paint containing glass beads, the paint adheres the beads to the surface where retroreflection is required and the beads protrude, their diameter being about twice the thickness of the paint.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroreflector#Cat's_eye