Abstract Proppant plays a key role in maintaining fracture conductivity during well production. Silica sand is by far the most commonly used proppant due to its low cost and availability. However, some of frac sands, especially Tier 2 sand, are not always satisfactory under formation conditions. This work presents a cost-effective and environment-friendly method to improve sand quality through changing surface wettability. Meanwhile, the method can dramatically reduce airborne dust during sand transportation and frac operation. The new approach is based on sand surface modification with a trace amount of a proprietary chemical, which is an eco-friendly liquid and can modify sand surface properties including wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. The treating process is fairly easy and effective by simply spraying the chemical onto frac sand, as the chemical is designed to readily spread on the surface. As a result, the treating process can be easily set up at sand plants or transload facilities. The treated sand has been examined by various tests. Crush resistance testing shows that the treated sands generate much less fines than the untreated sands; fracture conductivity measurements indicate the treated sands have significantly greater conductivity to flowback water than the untreated sands. Additionally, the method can also be applied for dust control. Field testing shows that most of the airborne dust can be removed from frac sand. Microscopic observation finds that most of the dust particles are adherent to sand grains. In summary, this method can be a cost-effective and operationally easy way to improve sand quality as well as control silica dust during sand transportation and frac operation.