West Bengal gets its first M sand facility through CIL’s green mining initiative

Source: The post is based on the article “West Bengal gets its first M sand facility through CIL’s green mining initiative” published in The Hindu on 9th January 2023.

What is the News?

Coal India Limited (CIL) has started a facility in West Bengal to produce manufactured sand. With the West Bengal facility, the CIL’s total M Sand producing capacity stands at 9.86 lakh cubic metres per year.

What is Manufactured Sand(M-Sand) and what are its applications

Sand is one of the major geological resources of the country and M sand is a form of artificial sand manufactured by crushing large hard stones into fine particles.

Benefits of M-sand: a) Conversion of overburdened material into sand is a step to ensure environmental sustainability, b) It will ensure the sustainability of sand, particularly when illegal mining from riverbeds and riverbanks has adverse effects on river morphology, c) It does not contain organic and soluble compounds that affect the setting time and properties of cement, thus the required strength of concrete can be maintained, and d) It can be dust-free and the sizes of m-sand can be controlled easily so that it meets the required grading for the given construction.