Recognising the value potential of mine site and process slag waste as a resource for the production of sand products, EESTech developed a patent pending process for production of technical, high-grade, environmentally stable sand.

EESTech’s waste stabilization process incorporates a proprietary binary compound that encapsulate hazardous heavy metals within an acid resistant matrix. Independently certified as an NEMWA Class 4 “inert” material to be marketed by EESTech as ThermaSand™ and ThermaPrills™.

A legacy of mineral processing is hundreds of millions of tons of hazardous mine site and process slag waste accumulated in stockpiles and waste dumps around the world.

The world is running out of sand, after air and water, sand is mankind’s most used resource. All rivers of the world combined generate approximately 25 billion tons of sand per year, mankind uses over 50 billion tons of sand per year.

Production of ThermaSand and ThermaPrills delivers a total full cycle waste management solution that is nontoxic, completely inorganic and ecologically harmless in freshwater environments.

Sand products produced by EESTech are the first real environmentally sustainable alternative that offsets the need for controversial wetland sand mining and the destruction of sensitive ecosystems, resulting in a win-win-win for the Environment, Society and Governance.

ThermaSand and ThermaPrills will set new industry benchmarks as high-grade, inert sand products that can be customised to specialty market demands or designed with specific characteristics to meet or in most cases exceed industry standards.

ThermaSand is a thermally fused amorphas glass, free of organic material, alkaline by nature, consisting mainly of silica (Si), aluminium (Al), and magnesium (Mg), making ThermaSand chemically and physically suited for use as a geopolymer, “green cement”.

An industry assessment highlighted the applicability potential of ThermaSand to reduce the 8% global CO₂ emissions generated by the production of Portland Cement by 80–90%, making ThermaSand a ultra-low carbon alternative to Portland Cement.

The global geopolymer and green cement markets are valued at US$3.832 billion and is projected to expand to over US$18 billion by 2030. READ MORE>

ThermaSand is identified as an inert, dust resistant, subangular, lightweight, thermally stable, clean green, smokeless sand with high porosity, making it a fetcher rich, high grade foundry and metal casting sand with no free silica. The elevated alumina content makes ThermaSand harder and stronger than silica sand, when used for setting of metal casting moulds it significantly minimises defects.

Silica sand, is the world’s most widely used sand with a +/- 70% market share. However, advances in medical science has identified silica dust, known as “respirable particles”, as the cause of silicosis, an incurable an sometimes deadly lung disease. Government, industry and environmentalist have placed regulations, restrictions and management controls over all aspects of silica sand use, with some applications being banned.

ThermaPrills can be tailor made to have a particle size ranging from 400µm to 50µm, with a uniformity coefficient of 1.22 as compared to natural sand of 1.64, ThermaPrills also have a 161% higher compression strength than natural sand.

ThermaPrills have a fusion point of 1600°C and a low rate of thermal expansion, making them an ideal, cost effective foundry sand solution for most casting requirements. ThermaPrills produce stable cores and molds that yield high quality metal surface finishes, thereby reducing finishing costs of final products.

The wholesale price for industry comparative metal casting sands ranges from US$350 to US$720 per ton. The US foundry and metal casting industry use over 100 millions of tons of sand annually and are seeking an alternative supply for high grade sand products.