abiotic factor, non-living thing
An ecosystem is a biotic community, where living beings interact with their non-living environment. An ecosystem consists of abiotic and biotic factors. Abiotic factors are non-living factors, which are necessary for survival of living beings. Example, soil, air, water, sunlight and others. Biotic factors includes all living species like plants, animals, microbes and human beings.
Sand is a type of soil, that is mainly found in desert and beach areas. It is a non-living thing and abiotic factor.