INDUSTRY BRIEF Unlocking value from waste foundry sand

The document outlines the potential for industrial symbiosis by using waste foundry sand (WFS) as a secondary material in sectors like brickmaking and road construction. It highlights the economic benefits for foundries and off-takers, the regulatory hurdles involving waste classification and management licenses, and the technical requirements for processing WFS to ensure product quality.

• Foundries in the Western Cape collectively produce between 75,000 and 80,000 tonnes of waste foundry sand (WFS) annually, with an average production rate of one to two tonnes of WFS for every tonne of metal moulded.
• WFS is typically classified as a level 2, 3, or 4 hazardous waste due to contaminants such as barium, nickel, manganese, mercury, chrome, and benzene, necessitating costly disposal at licensed sanitary landfills via registered waste management companies.
• The use of WFS as a secondary material can provide significant cost savings; for example, companies in Cape Town typically pay over R140 per tonne for silica sand, which WFS could replace.
• WFS has proven application as an aggregate in clay brickmaking (typically 15% to 30% sand content) and concrete brickmaking, where research from the University of Johannesburg indicates that 30% WFS supplementation can improve strength and durability.
• Other potential but less developed applications for WFS include use in thermal storage, as an aggregate in asphalt mixes for lightly trafficked roads, and as backfill in originating sand mines.
• Regulatory barriers include the requirement for Waste Management Licences (WML) for off-takers and foundries. While a general application for the exclusion of all WFS from the definition of waste in South Africa was declined, the CSIR is currently pursuing exclusions for specific foundries using green moulding sand (GMS).

APA

GreenCape (n.d.). INDUSTRY BRIEF Unlocking value from waste foundry sand. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Foundry-Sand-Industry-Brief-Final.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. INDUSTRY BRIEF Unlocking value from waste foundry sand. n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Foundry-Sand-Industry-Brief-Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=INDUSTRY BRIEF Unlocking value from waste foundry sand |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Foundry-Sand-Industry-Brief-Final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencapendindustry, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{INDUSTRY BRIEF Unlocking value from waste foundry sand}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Foundry-Sand-Industry-Brief-Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }