Investigation of alternative ways for recycling waste foundry sand: an extensive review to present benefits

Abstract

Foundry sand, an indispensable component of the metal casting process, is discarded after a number of metal casting operations. Virgin sand is then required for any new casting processes, and the spent foundry sand is treated as waste, resulting in huge amounts of discarded sand being either stockpiled or dumped into landfills. This results in a wide scale consumption of natural resources despite the fact that this “waste” can be recycled as a viable resource in various engineering processes. To this end, this study represents a detailed investigation into the possible uses for waste foundry sand. Obtained results concluded that this material can best be utilized in highway and hydraulic barrier construction, as well as low strength concrete production. Thus, the recycling of waste foundry sand results in the conservation and saving of natural and financial resources.