Extraction, Production and Consumption of Gravel and Sand Aggregates in Poland An Attempt to Assess National and Regional Balances

Natural aggregates are the basic group of extracted minerals. In Poland, their share in the extraction of solid minerals over 30 years (1989–2018) increased from about 24% to 54%. Current aggregate production is about 300 million Mg and in 2019 it will probably exceed the record volume of 2011 – over 330 million Mg. In the extraction and production of aggregates in Poland, there is a decisive preponderance of gravel and sand aggregates – their share in the total production of natural aggregates amounts to 70–75%. The remaining part consists of crushed-stone aggregates produced from compact and moderately compact rocks of magma origin (basalts, granites, gabbro and diabases, melaphyres, porphyry, syenites, etc.), sedimentary rocks (dolomites, limestones, sandstones, etc.), and metamorphic rocks (amphibolites, migamatites, gneisses, serpentinites, etc.). A gradual deterioration in the quality of the raw material base of gravel and sands as well as a simultaneous increase in the demand of the construction industry for the best quality thick aggregate fractions (5/8mm, 8/11, etc.) has a significant impact on the rise in the amount of hard to sell and unsalable (waste) fractions of aggregates produced in Poland. This applies especially to gravel and sand aggregates in whose deposit the share of fine fractions (below 2 mm) is systematically increasing, while the demand for them in the construction sector is limited and they are often treated as useless (waste) material. Since it is practically unknown what is the production and consumption of these aggregates, an attempt was made to assess the amount of extracted and produced sand and gravel fractions of natural aggregates in Poland. The deficit of natural aggregates in many countries and regions as well as the limited aggregate resources in Poland and increasing difficulties in obtaining licenses for their extraction indicate the need for selective storage of sand aggregate assortments instead of “melting” them in post-mining excavation pits. The presented research results should contribute to the development of more accurate market forecasts regarding the demand for and production of natural aggregates in Poland and in individual regions, especially when it comes to gravel and sand aggregates, including also fine fractions.