Form Us With Love and EasyMining showcase work in progress of new materials derived from sewage sludge ash, exploring re-purposing the red sand in architectural applications.

Sand is the world’s second most consumed material. As a fossil material, sand does not regenerate at the same pace at which it is consumed. The world is facing a crisis of sand shortage with Illegal sand mining currently the 3rd biggest crime in the world.

From EasyMining’s ‘Ash2Phos process’ of turning sewage sludge ash into phosphorus products, red silica sand is created as a co-product. It is this sand that is the material focus of this project.

EasyMining invited FUWL to create a pilot-study exploring the application possibilities of their red sand, drawing on the studio’s skill at teasing design solutions from problems with the wider goal of betterment, for people, place, and planet.

On September 6, during Stockholm Design Week, FUWL and EasyMining invited key people from design, architecture, waste management and the production industry, to participate in a preview of the project at the FUWL Stockholm studio, with the aim to exchange knowledge, ideas, experiences and visions – to further inspire sustainable material development.

Form Us With Love has explored different applications of the material, all focusing on architectural elements, from paint to terrazzo bricks, to outdoor concrete furniture. Tests have been conducted together with different industrial producers and cover various material categories, where this sand has replaced ingredients to lower the material’s climate impact.

Imagine being able to use an industrial co-product to replace materials, lowering the CO₂ footprint and reducing use of virgin resources. As the construction industry consumes huge quantities of sand, there is great potential to be had in replacing such a scarce commodity with this climate friendly, recycled sand.

EasyMining is an innovation company dedicated to closing nutrient cycles. Owned by the Swedish environmental company Ragn-Sells. Thier objective is to create new circular material flows in an efficient commercial way. They do this by inventing and implementing new technology that uses chemical solutions to recycle important materials. EasyMining Sweden was founded in 2007. The last ten years EasyMining has had a steady flow of innovations and patents, and continuous expansion through organic growth and investments.

EasyMining’s Website

In EasyMining’s process of extracting phosphorus from sewage sludge ash, other materials are made such as silica sand. 95 % of the contents in the ash have the potential of turning into products.

EasyMining’s mission is to close nutrient cycles. In their Ash2Phos process, they turn sewage sludge ash into phosphorus products for the agriculture industry.

Fine sand is produced in the Ash2Phos process. It contains silica and iron oxide, which gives the sand its reddish hue. The expected amount to be produced per year is up to 45 000 tonnes. It is this sand that is the material focus of this project collaboration since it has no current intended use or value.