Extraction of construction sand. Modern methods of sand extraction How sand is extracted from a river

Sand mining in a quarry has many nuances. Natural sand, mined in natural conditions, is a rock with a loose structure. The mixture may include various grains of natural minerals. Different types of sand are successfully used for construction. In most cases, river or quarry is used, but the second type is in great demand due to its low price and good properties. To purchase the necessary high-quality material for construction, you will need to study all the main characteristics and types of quarry sand. And to find out how to open a sand mining business, you will need to familiarize yourself with the possible expenses and the list of necessary documents.

The main property of sand extracted from quarries is the absence of various impurities, as well as its maximum purity.

There are also a number of unchanged characteristics:

1. The fraction can vary in size from 1.5 to 5 mm.
2. Sand contains a small amount of dust, clay, and other impurities. This figure does not exceed 0.03%. If the value is exceeded, the quality of the composition deteriorates greatly and the material becomes unsuitable for construction needs.
3. The density of sand is 1.6 grams per cubic centimeter.

These are the main characteristics of quarry sand that you should pay special attention to when purchasing. Even minor changes can lead to major changes in the properties of the composition.

Quarry sand divided into small, large and medium fractions. This parameter should also be clarified upon purchase, since the diameter of the sand grains is very important during construction and mixing of cement composition.

The shades of the material can also vary greatly from each other and have a brown or amber-yellow color - depending on the quarry being mined, as well as the location of the deposit. This parameter must be taken into account only in the case of decorative sand treatment of some surface. During construction, the color indicator does not matter.

Varieties

Quarry sand is a unique material for construction needs, which can also be successfully used in industry and the national economy. Arrangement of a private territory or construction of a road surface - the material is of key importance in these processes. And this explains the increased demand for sand from the quarry.

Since mining sites can be located at a considerable distance from each other, the composition of the resulting material varies. For this reason, each type of sand has a different structure, composition, and grain size. To find out the final properties of sand, it is also necessary to study the methods of its extraction:

1. Screening.
2. Washing.
3. Open method.

All this will directly affect the type of material obtained.

According to the processing method that is used after obtaining the material, sand is divided into several varieties.

Alluvial

Alluvial sand is mined in quarries and other deposits using hydromechanical equipment. Using this technology, sand is obtained as clean as possible; it does not contain various impurities and other components harmful to the characteristics.

The equipment used makes it possible to immediately remove all unnecessary components during mining by leaching. That is why the method got its name - alluvial. This type of sand is the most appropriate for the production of bricks and concrete, and it is also often used in the construction of various types of premises, reinforced concrete products, and road construction.

Seeded

The name of the method speaks for itself. Screened sand is extracted using technical-mechanical screening, as a result of which the material is separated from large stones and particles. This method is considered quite simple. As a result, sand is used for making plaster or cement mortars, as well as for pouring cement.

This technique is also often used on private properties to separate large particles from the underlying sand material.

Sandy

Sandy sand is an unrefined mixture obtained from quarries. After mining, various components (impurities) remain in the sand, which are not removed during the process. The price for the material is the lowest, but the scope of use is limited, and therefore the material is not so widespread. Sand is used to fill the trench and level the terrain on the site. This variety is not suitable for more serious construction operations, since additional impurities greatly impair the characteristics.

Features of the mining process

The open-pit mining method is the most popular when construction companies bulldozers, excavators and other similar equipment are used. This method is the cheapest, but the disadvantage is that sand is not useful for all types of work.

Quarry sand mined in this way is mined in the upper layers of the soil, and therefore miners use the method of opening the top layer, and sometimes even explosives. The last nuance makes the business of extracting building materials dangerous.

There are times when the quarry is flooded with water. This situation should not stop miners, and special equipment has been developed to solve the problem. In this case, a suction dredger is used, which is a powerful pump that extracts sand from the depths. Stability equipment is secured with anchors and powerful cables. You can also place it on board a specially equipped vessel. The sand that is sucked into the device is called pulp - it passes through the pulp channel, which is designed to filter out various harmful particles and impurities.

An important point is that after this process, the water returns to the quarry, and therefore there can be no talk of any drying. This method of extraction does not cause harm environment. This is a description of the hydromechanized method.

There are also other cases when more specific equipment is used. It is not used regularly. For example, builders can use special sieves to sift out large stones and other particles. Using this method, it takes much longer to extract sand - this is the reason for its unpopularity. An ordinary metal mesh is also used, through which the sand is sifted by the hands of workers.

When the development of a new quarry begins, construction companies prepare all calculations and document them, and also coordinate their activities with the state. Without the necessary official papers, it is impossible to obtain permission to mine sand.

Areas of application

Since quarry sand is of good quality and complies with certain GOST standards, it is often used in construction, decoration and agriculture. Sand is especially often used for making concrete and bricks, as well as for the construction of residential buildings and roads.

Alluvial sand, which has a large fraction, has become very popular in production good type concrete, as well as when creating reinforced concrete structures.

Quarrying sand is in demand because the materials are often used to build masonry, paving slabs and street curbs.

Since some types of sand do not contain impurities, they have good strength and will last for many years. For this reason, it is so important to study all the provided documentation and GOSTs before purchasing, otherwise there is a risk of purchasing low-quality material that will quickly fail.

For decorative purposes, sand is used in summer cottages or private buildings, and it is also used in children's playgrounds.

Sand mining business plan

Since sand mining in a quarry is a popular activity, many entrepreneurs want to start their own business with this activity. But extracting sand on an industrial scale is not an easy task. To open such a business, you need to have specific knowledge and also spend a lot of money. It is advisable to draw up a business plan in advance in order to calculate all the costs and know how to properly develop a quarry for sand extraction.

Registration of sand mining activities

To start your own business, you need to know how to register a quarry, and then register the enterprise in accordance with the laws Russian Federation. It is advisable to use an LLC based on the simplified tax system.

After this, the person receives the right to use the chosen quarry, according to the license. The license period will be approximately 5 years or slightly less, and after that the permit will need to be renewed.

Financial plan

To open a business, you need to take into account that large expenses will be required, including:

1. Buying an excavator. The cost will be approximately 1.5 million rubles.
2. A front loader costs about the same amount.
3. A dump truck costs 2.5 million rubles. The load capacity should be 18,000 kg.
4. A trailer for transporting the received material – 500,000 rubles.
5. Walkie-talkies for workers worth 25,000 rubles.
6. One fire shield – 8,000 rubles.
7. Tanks used for filling fuel with a volume of 200 liters cost 28,000 rubles.
8. Tank for filling oil - 9000 rubles.
9. One heater fueled with diesel fuel. Cost – 4000 rubles.
10. Gas stove – 7,000 rubles.
11. Gas cylinder– 3000 rubles.
12. Tank intended for filling drinking water– 5000 rubles.
13. A generator installed on a trailer filled with diesel fuel costs 350,000 rubles.
14. Desks for workers – 4,000 rubles.
15. Chairs for workers – 2000 rubles.
16. Refrigerator – 5000 rubles.

You will also need to spend additional money on liquids to refill the equipment. A business plan is used to calculate costs.

From all this we can conclude that the total cost will be approximately 10 million rubles.

Sand is a necessary building material used in the process of performing all construction work. Sand of natural origin is mined in quarries. These are either sandy or sand-granite mining areas.

According to the conditions of the deposits, sand deposits, like other minerals, are divided into the following types of quarries:

Kosogorny.

Flat.

A quarry is considered to be sloped, which is located on the slope of a hill. They are almost always located high in the mountains and are located above transport junctions and the surrounding area. These quarries are always dry type.

In flat-type quarries, sand deposits are located below the earth's surface or, in some situations, even below the groundwater level. These quarries can be of both dry and watered types.

Depending on the method of sand development, quarries are either drained using drains, drains, or watered for the subsequent extraction of this building material.

In water-type quarries, this material is extracted from river beds, lakes and other types of reservoirs.

Sand mining carried out in two development methods:

Open.

Underwater.

Open pit mining is the most common. For such mining, excavators, scrapers, dump trucks, aerial ropeways and other mechanisms are used.

In water-type quarries, excavators are used - dredgers, draglines, and rope scrapers.

Sand extraction occurs through explosions. Such work makes it possible to separate rock from rock masses by grinding and crushing to the required size.

Sand deposits are often hidden under a layer of soil, clay and other rocks. These layers are called overburden. The ratio of the layer volume to the volume of minerals is the stripping ratio.

Stripping operations are carried out in order to avoid additional contamination of sand with various impurities.

In addition to the above methods of sand development, there is the most productive extraction method - hydromechanical.

This method is used not only when extracting sand from the bottoms of rivers or other types of reservoirs, but also in flooded plain-type quarries.

Sand deposits that are located above the water level can be developed using hydraulic monitors. They are tubular barrels with a conical profile and a thin nozzle at the end. The liquid supplied by pumping stations from nearby reservoirs is released through a hydraulic monitor in a very dense stream with significant pressure.

Downhole hydraulic monitors erode sand deposits. The pulp thus formed flows by gravity into hydraulic dumps, if the required slope is provided. In other situations, sand is transported by dredgers through special pipelines.

Such mechanisms, which are used in mining, are capable of crushing even very hard rocks with their water jet. Very little pressure is enough to develop sand.

In this article:

Sand is one of the most popular building materials. Since people use it in economic and construction activities. But, despite the fact that sand literally lies under our feet, the extraction of this mineral on an industrial scale is not an easy task, which requires knowledge of technology and huge financial investments. Therefore, next we will look at how to organize an enterprise for the extraction and production of sand?

How to register sand mining?

In order for sand mining activities to be legal, it is necessary to formalize the quarry and register the enterprise.

It is better to register a company as an LLC using a simplified taxation system. Next, you need to obtain the right to use the quarry and obtain a license.

This license is valid for 5 years, but can then be extended.

In the process of legalizing a business, you may need the following: OKVED codes and regulatory documents:

• 14.21 – “Development of sand and gravel quarries”;
• 14.22 – “Extraction of kaolin and clay.”
• GOST 8736-93 – “Construction sand. THAT";
• GOST 4417-75 – “Quartz sand for welding work.”

Sand mining technology

The choice of sand extraction technology depends on the origin of the building material - quarry, sea or river. Sand extraction can be done using the following methods:

• open,
• closed.

Open pit sand mining

Open pit sand mining is more common. This technology uses scrapers, dump trucks, excavators, aerial ropeways and other equipment. Deposits of non-metallic minerals are usually hidden under layers of soil and clay rocks. They are called overburdens.

Before sand mining begins, scrapers and bulldozers carry out stripping operations. This helps prevent various impurities from getting into the sand. The ratio of the volume of the rock layer to the total volume of minerals is called the stripping ratio. The next operation is to lay trenches for working benches and transport routes. The height of the ledge is determined technical characteristics excavator.

Typically, a single-bucket or multi-bucket excavator is used to extract sand. The bucket volume of this special equipment varies from 0.25 to 15 m 3 .

The sand that is mined by this method is usually yellow-orange in color and is not the best in its properties. Therefore, it is subsequently cleaned, after which the material can be used in the preparation of plaster and masonry mortars, and in the production of bricks.

Technology of sand extraction using a closed (hydromechanized) method

Sand is extracted from the bottom of reservoirs using a hydromechanized method. To develop underwater deposits, dredgers or floating installations are used. They look like a pontoon that is fixed and moved using anchors, cables and piling devices. This equipment houses a dredger - the most powerful pump. A mechanical ripper and dredger are lowered to the bottom of the reservoir. These devices work together, and loosened sand is sucked into the pipe and then moved in the form of a hydraulic mixture along a floating slurry pipeline, which consists of pipe links and floats.

Finally, the slurry (a mixture of sand and water) is placed in hydraulic dumps, from where the water flows back into the reservoir. Simultaneously with this operation, the mineral is washed from clay and dust impurities.

Business plan for quarrying and sand extraction

Objective of the project– extraction of different-grained quartz sand from a deposit (quarry) and its sale on the territory of the Russian Federation.

It is planned that the development of deposits at the enterprise will be carried out using open-pit methods. Favorable mining and geological conditions allow stripping operations to be carried out simultaneously with mining. The average height of benches for a quartz sand deposit is 5 meters - 1 bench, and the maximum angle of repose is 35-40°.

In quartz sand deposits, water can be cut to a depth of about 8 meters. The water flow is not significant, at which all work can be carried out without pumping. Capital costs for sand mining

Equipment purchase costs

1. Excavator “Hyundai R220LC-9S” (made in Korea).

Specifications:

• power - 194 kW/263 hp;
• bucket volume – 1.43 m3;
• digging depth – 6,440 mm.

The price of the excavator is 5,744,681 rubles.

2. Loader “SEM 639 B”, 1.7 m 3.

• Bucket volume – 3.0 m3;
• Engine power - 162/220 kW/hp;

The price of the loader is 1,468,085 rubles.

3. KrAZ dump truck – 6510.

Specifications:

• Load capacity – 18,000 kg;
• Platform volume – 12 m3.

The price of the car is 2,648,936 rubles.

4. Insulated trailer. Price – 478,723 rubles.

5. Walkie-talkies. Price – 24,468 rubles.

6. Fire shield. Price – 8,511 rubles.

7. 200 liter fuel tanks. Price – 28,723 rubles;

8. Oil tank 200 liters. Price – 9,574 rubles;

9. Diesel heater. Price – 4,255 rubles;

10. Gas stove. Price – 7,447 rubles;

11. Gas cylinder. Price – 3,191 rubles;

12. Drinking tanks. Price – 5,106 rubles;

13. Diesel generator for a trailer. Price – 350,000 rubles;

14. Tables. Price – 4,255 rubles;

15. Chairs. Price – 2,128 rubles;

16. Refrigerator. Price – 5,318 rubles.

Total capital costs: – 10,799,401 rubles.

Costs of renting equipment from Europe for transporting goods (per year):

• Tractor "Volvo" (7 pcs.). Price – 24,592,340 rubles;
• Tipper semi-trailer "Schwarzmuller" (7 pcs.).

Specifications:

• Payload – 33 tons;
• Own weight - 9.2 tons.

Price – 10,876,882 rubles;

Installation of hydraulic units (7 pcs.) – 1,000,851 rubles;

Customs operations – 2,861,150 rubles;

Delivery costs – 1,340,425 rubles.

Total: 40,671,648 rubles.

Payroll costs for production personnel at a mineral deposit

Foreman (1 person) – monthly salary – 31,915 rubles; per year - 382,980 rubles.

Excavator operator (2 people) – monthly salary – 80,064 rubles; per year – 960,768 rubles;

Forklift driver (1 person) – monthly salary – 30,532 rubles; per year – 366,384 rubles.

KrAZ driver (1 person) – monthly salary – 42,553 rubles; per year – 510,636 rubles.

Accountant (1 person) – monthly salary – 20,766 rubles; per year – 249,192 rubles.

Watchman (2 people) – monthly salary – 34,021 rubles; per year – 408,252 rubles.

Cook (1 person) – monthly salary – 20,766 rubles; per year – 249,192 rubles.

Total fund wages for the year will be 3,127,404 rubles

Quarry development costs

Fire extinguisher (3 pcs.) – 4,468 rubles;

Refilling a gas cylinder – 5,957 rubles;

Construction helmets (3 pcs.) – 2,553 rubles;

Golitsy (10 pairs) – 1064 rubles;

Raincoats (3 pcs.) – 2,872 rubles;

Construction shovels (5 pcs.) – 1,277 rubles;

Lantern for a trailer (1 piece) – 2,128 rubles;

Overalls and shoes for 5 people – 53,191 rubles;

Ax (2 pcs.) – 1,702 rubles;

Hammers (3 pcs.) – 702 rubles;

Sledgehammer (3 pcs.) – 3,191 rubles;

Tongs (3 pcs.) – 638 rubles;

Screwdrivers (3 sets) – 2,128 rubles.

Wrenches (3 sets) – 15,957 rubles;

Pliers (5 pcs.) – 532 rubles;

Carrying bags (3 pcs.) – 511 rubles;

Dog (2 pcs.) – 6,383 rubles.

Total: 105,254 rubles.

Calculation of the cost of food for workers at the quarry

The cost of 1 lunch is 117 rubles;

Number of workers – 9 workers;

The cost of lunch per month is 22,117 rubles;

The cost of lunch per year is 265,404 rubles.

Other costs

The cost of feeding 2 dogs per year will be 61,277 rubles.

Rental costs (per year): house in a village near a quarry – 76,595 rubles;

Vacuum truck – 12,766 rubles;

Total: 89,361 rubles.

Advertising costs

• Rental of billboards (3 pcs.) – 38,298 rubles;
• Advertising in a newspaper – 5,106 rubles;
• Radio advertising – 10,638 rubles;

Total costs per month – 54,042 rubles;

Total per year – 108,084 rubles.

Indirect costs

• Diesel fuel consumption for maintaining a fleet of special equipment is 17 liters per year. The average cost of diesel fuel is 30 rubles/liter;
• The consumption of lubricants for the operation of auxiliary equipment is 3 thousand liters per year. The price of lubricants is 22 rubles/liter;
• Equipment utilization rate – 0.2;

Total costs for fuels and lubricants will be: (17,000 * 30 + 3000 * 22) * 0.2 = 115,200 rubles.

Costs of tax deduction for sand extraction

For the period from January 1 to December 31, 2013, the rate for sand extraction is 5.5%.

The total cost of paying the tax will be: 0.055 * 77,750,000 = 4,276,250 rubles.

Total costs for sand extraction are: 48,819,882 rubles.

Revenue

Annual volumes of quartz sand production:

• Fine-grained sand – 60,000 m3;
• Medium-grained sand – 70,000 m3;
• Coarse sand (screenings) – 80,000 m 3 ;
• High-fine sand – 45,000 m3.

Revenue for the year will be:

• From the sale of fine-grained sand (Price – 150 rubles/m3): 60,000 * 150 = 9,000,000 rubles.
• From the sale of medium-grained sand (Price - 300 rubles/m 3): 70,000 * 300 = 21,000,000 rubles;

The quarry is the main place for sand extraction. A quarry refers to a place from which minerals are extracted, such as crushed stone, sand, gravel, shale, stone and other minerals. In addition, quarries produce large quantities of coal, limestone, gypsum, clay, china clay or kaolin, quartz sand and more. Thus, the quarries are directly connected to fossil processing plants. These include: concrete plants, plants for the production of asphalt and bitumen road materials, pipeline production, concrete block production, brick factories and others.

Two types of sand mining

As a rule, sand from a quarry is extracted by open-pit and underwater mining.

The open-pit mining method involves mining by removing the top layer of soil. The water method involves the extraction of sand from under water from rivers and reservoirs.

Underwater sand mining

From the bottom of rivers and reservoirs, extraction occurs using special equipment, such as: a dragline (a single-bucket excavator with a cable connection), dredges, a dredger, a scraper (a machine with pneumatic wheels or caterpillar tracks). In addition, it is necessary to provide a floating installation, such as a pontoon (a floating device for supporting weights on the water), which can be moved and fixed using an anchor and a pile and a cable that carries a pump and equipment.

Mining principle

Principle of operation and production:

• the nozzle on the neck of the pump sinks to the bottom of the river or reservoir, and sand begins to be sucked into the pipe;
• using a mechanical crusher, sand is crushed if necessary;
• through a floating slurry pipeline (a mixture of water and sand that moves through a pipeline), the mass reaches the storage location;
• The next step is drying the sand on the river bank, and the water from it flows back into the river.

Sand collection devices

Sand can also be collected from water using a hydraulic elevator. A hydraulic elevator is a device that allows you to draw water from a depth of up to 20 meters. Sand can also be extracted using a hydraulic monitor located above the water level. Pressurized water enters the pipe using a pump and is directed to the shore.

Open pit sand mining

Sand, which is mined in an open pit, was formed due to the destruction of rocks. Sand lies both on the surface, under a layer of soil or clayey rocks, and under groundwater. Sand is usually extracted using an excavator. Before sand is extracted, the top layer of soil or clay is removed from the quarry. If there is water in the quarry, it is drained using drainage systems. When extracting sand in a quarry, it is necessary to have powerful equipment, such as an excavator, dump truck, bulldozer and others. If sand deposits are located on a hill or in the mountains, then slope sand mining is carried out. Quarry sand, due to the presence of impurities in it, is usually washed, thus purifying and enriching it. The sand is also sifted, dried and fractionated, which allows it to be used for water filtration and more.

You can profitably purchase fractionated quartz sand from the manufacturer directly without intermediaries from us. The Euromineral Ukraine company is engaged in the direct sale of quartz sand of various fractions at flexible prices. It is possible to purchase both wholesale and retail.

Based on its origin, sand is divided into the following types: sea, river, mountain (quarry) and dune. Each type of sand is mined in different ways, that is, in completely different ways.

Features of the dry sand extraction method

The most common mining method for quarries is the dry method, or, as it is also called, open. To prevent various impurities from entering the sand, bulldozers or scrapers carry out stripping operations before sand extraction. Overburden is the top layer of soil or clay rocks, under which there are deposits of sand. The stripping ratio is determined by the ratio of the volume of stripping to the volume of pure minerals.

After removing the overburden layer, trenches are laid for transport routes and working benches. The height of the bench depends on the excavator's digging height.

Sand is extracted mainly using single-bucket or multi-bucket excavators. An excavator bucket can hold from a minimum volume of sand - 0.25 m3, to a maximum volume - 15 m3. Sand extraction is carried out layer by layer if the layer of the deposit turns out to be thick.

Due to the presence of a certain amount of fine clay in the composition, the sand obtained in this way is yellow-orange in color and not the best in its properties. In this regard, the raw material requires additional cleaning, and only after this can sand be used in the preparation of masonry or plaster mortars, the production of bricks, concrete and gas silicate products.

Hydromechanized method for extracting sand for a quarry

Sand is also extracted from quarries using a hydromechanized method, which involves the use of large amounts of water. Water, which is supplied by a pumping station from a nearby reservoir, is thrown out in a dense stream through a hydromonitor with a very high speed. Water erodes the intended sand deposit, while the resulting pulp (hydraulic mixture), while ensuring the required slope, itself flows into hydraulic dumps. It can also be transported through pipes using a dredger.

Thanks to this method, the sand is cleaner; it is separated from stones, plant roots and other unwanted impurities with the help of water.

Hydromechanized method for extracting sand from the bottom of a reservoir

The hydromechanized method is used to extract sand from the bottom of reservoirs. This cannot be done without the help of various technologies. Dredgers, dragline excavators, scrapers, suction dredgers, and centrifugal pumps are fixed to the pontoons using cables, pile devices and anchors. From the bottom of a river or lake, with the help of a dredger and a mechanical ripper, sand enters a pipe and is moved through a floating slurry pipeline to equipped coastal sites - hydraulic dumps. Water drainage and additional cleaning make the sand practically clean, free from foreign contaminants. Such natural material ready for sale for use in any type of construction.