UAE is turning desert sand into eco-friendly bricks, the method cuts cement needed for construction to nearly half

Dubai is surrounded by dunes and for a country that has ample desert sand, one would think they would utilise it as a resource. However, the sand underfoot has long been a poor fit for ordinary concrete. Wind makes desert grains unusually fine, smooth, and rounded, so they do not interlock as easily as the rougher aggregate commonly drawn from rivers. But research from the University of Sharjah transforms desert sand into eco-friendly bricks, according to a report by EurekAlert! The November 2025 research was published in the Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering and released in February 2026 by the university.An abundant materialIn the study, researchers including Dr Mohamad Arab and Professor Maher Omar combined desert sand collected in the Sharjah region with alkali-activated binders. This technology uses alkaline solutions to trigger chemical reactions capable of forming rigid structures, similar to a resistant mineral matrix.The formulation also incorporates industrial by-products, such as blast furnace slag and industrial ashes. The use of slag and industrial ashes expands the environmental interest of the research. These by-products, when reused in construction materials...