DRT-Sand™ is a novel materials innovation that transforms previously unusable desert or coastal sand into a functional construction-grade substrate through an advanced nanobonding process. Developed by Doctor T Company in Thailand, the system introduces a proprietary coating (TPoxy™) that binds each grain with a nanoscale film, resulting in engineered sand that is water-resistant, dust-suppressed, and ready for direct use in cementitious mixes or composite fabrication.

The innovation addresses a mounting global crisis: the scarcity of high-quality river sand. Many countries—including Singapore, Qatar, and Mauritius—have depleted domestic sand reserves and now rely heavily on importing river sand from distant regions, creating unsustainable supply chains that destroy river ecosystems, accelerate sediment loss, and incur high carbon footprints from marine and land transport. DRT-Sand™ offers an abundant, local, and climate-resilient alternative. By activating the overlooked resource of desert sand, it dramatically reduces the need for extraction, washing, or shipping of natural sand aggregates.

Unlike traditional sand processing, DRT-Sand™ requires no high-temperature kilns, acid washing, or polymeric blending. The coating process can be implemented at ambient temperature using portable mixers and minimal equipment, making it scalable in low-resource or remote settings. Once treated, the sand can be stored dry for months, or immediately mixed with cement to form bricks, roads, or structural panels. This simplicity makes DRT-Sand™ ideal for localized production, including in desert nations seeking to build resilient, affordable infrastructure without relying on imported materials.

Preliminary field testing in Thailand has applied DRT-Sand™ to desert sand from Mui Ne Desert (Vietnam) and coastal sand from Samed Island (Thailand). After coating with TPoxy™, the sand was successfully mixed with ordinary Portland cement, forming cohesive small test blocks without efflorescence or visible incompatibility. These early samples demonstrated good material bonding and workability, and are now awaiting formal laboratory testing to assess compressive strength, durability, and performance under stress conditions.

Market applications span green housing, emergency shelters, off-grid construction, and modular infrastructure. In disaster-prone or post-conflict areas where river sand supply chains are disrupted, DRT-Sand™ could become a critical tool for rebuilding. It also aligns with international climate goals by reducing embodied energy and supporting circular use of abundant regional resources.

What makes DRT-Sand™ uniquely suited for the Manufacturing & Materials category is its potential to replace a key industrial input—natural river sand—with a locally abundant alternative that is faster to process, cheaper to transport, and cleaner to use. Its manufacturability is proven: the base formula is a single-component liquid that requires no premixing, refrigeration, or curing accelerants. The solution can be produced in bulk using conventional mixing lines, then distributed or franchised to regional operators without IP leakage, as the formula resists reverse engineering.

As nations seek low-carbon building materials to meet urban growth and climate adaptation demands, DRT-Sand™ presents a rare convergence of environmental stewardship, economic viability, and manufacturing scalability—positioning it as a transformative innovation for the global construction ecosystem.