Project on Using Quarry Dust as a Partial Replacement for River Sand in Concrete Mixes

The Luang Prabang Hydropower Project has implemented an initiative to replace a portion of river sand in concrete mixes with quarry dust. The goal is to reduce river sand consumption while making efficient use of waste materials (quarry dust), thereby minimizing environmental pollution caused by its disposal. Through optimized concrete mix design, the project has successfully incorporated quarry dust as a substitute for fine aggregate, exceeding the contractual limit by up to 10%. This translates to 56 kilograms of quarry dust per cubic meter of concrete. As a result, the project has reduced river sand usage, leading to cost savings of 6.85 million baht and preventing 28,560 tons of quarry dust waste from being released into the environment. This initiative was launched in January 2023.

In 2024, the Luang Prabang Hydropower Project produced 510,000 cubic meters of concrete. The stone dust generated during this process was used to replace fine aggregate (sand) in amounts exceeding the contract’s specified limit by 10% (the contract allowed a maximum of 3%, but the project used an average of 13%). This equated to 56 kilograms of stone dust being substituted for sand per cubic meter of concrete. As a result, up to 28,560 tons of natural sand from the Mekong River were conserved, helping to reduce the depletion of natural resources.