Silica sand demand to hit 291m tonnes by 2018
By Kasia Patel
Published: Tuesday, 30 December 2014
According to the latest predictions from The Freedonia Group, silica sand demand is expected to growth driven largely by China's construction sector - which consumes the mineral in glass production - and the continuing growth in fracking in North America, where silica sand is used as a proppant in the extraction of shale oil and gas. However, though some growth will be limited by a focus on glass recycling, concerns have been aired regarding a silica sand shortage as the US logistics network struggled to cope with the rapid increase in demand in 2014.