Displaying items by tag: construction and demolition materials

India: Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has obtained a 20-year patent for its Laterite-Based Concrete Block. The company produces the block using up to 100% construction and demolition materials. Norway-based research organisation SINTEF was technical partner for the development. GWMC plans to licence the technology to producers.

GWMC said "This invention will lead to a significantly cleaner local environment, as construction and demolition materials are a major waste stream in Goa. The groundwater resources in Goa will also have a higher protection against unwanted leaching."

Spain: Heidelberg Materials and construction firm Viuda de Sainz plan to open a construction and demolition waste (CDW) recycling and slag grinding plant in Güeñes, Basque Country. The plant, called Harri Green, will be situated in Heidelberg Materials' existing Zaramillo limestone quarry. It processing capacities will be 140,000t/yr CDW and 20,000t/yr steel slag, with which it will produce aggregates. The cost of the plant is Euro2m.

Middle East/North America: Climate tech start-up Partanna has announced plans for four new plants to produce its carbon negative binder. The plants will be located in the Bahamas, the US and the Gulf region.

Partanna said that the development demonstrates its growing momentum as a construction sector disruptor, offering a sustainable, cost-comparable alternative to cement for users of concrete.

Switzerland: Holcim has partnered with the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich’s Block Research Group, incremental3D and Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group for the launch of Phoenix, a 3D-printed concrete bridge made using reduced-CO₂ circular technologies. The bridge employs Holcim’s ECOCycle recycled 3D-printing concrete and stands through compression, without reinforcement, reducing the volumes of materials used by 50% compared with conventional construction methods.

Holcim head of global research and development Edelio Bermejo said “I am thrilled to unveil Phoenix, a monument to sustainability and the result of a fruitful collaboration with our partners to meet a common goal: demonstrating that essential infrastructure can be designed and built in a way that is circular and low-carbon today. This project showcases the impact that innovation can have in Holcim’s mission to decarbonise building for a net-zero future.”

UAE: Cemex UAE and UltraTech Cement UAE have signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of waste concrete recycling in the UAE, according to Dow Jones Institutional News. The cement producers say that their partnership will help to reduce CO₂ emissions from construction, in line with the UAE’s 2050 net zero commitment.

Israel: Cemex’s circular construction subsidiary Regenera has commissioned a construction, demolition and excavation waste recycling plant in Tel Aviv. Cemex said that the plant has the capacity to recycle 500,000t/yr of construction, demolition and excavation waste. Cemex acquired the site following its acquisition of a 51% stake in construction, demolition and excavation waste recycling company SHTANG Recycle, which it integrated into Regenera in early 2023.

Cemex’s Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia regional president Sergio Menéndez said “This new facility in Tel Aviv marks a significant milestone in Cemex's commitment to circularity, which is of such importance to our global ambition of reaching net zero by 2050. We are proud to play a vital role in the growth of our Regenera business, turning building waste into recycled materials for a more sustainable future. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting our Israeli operation and opening the plant, and was inspired by the passion of my local colleagues for innovation and collaboration in pursuit of a better future.”

India: Antony Waste Handling Cell Limited (AWHCL) has won a US$124m contract for construction and demolition waste management services in Mumbai. Press Trust of India News has reported that the contract covers nine municipal subdivisions of the city and will last until 2044. AWHCL said that the contract will enable it to develop the circularity of cement and concrete within the local economy. It expects to commission 600t/day-worth of waste processing capacity by March 2023. The waste management company expects a recovery rate of 25% recyclable materials.

AWHCL chairman and managing director Jose Jacob said "This sub-segment of solid waste management provides tremendous growth opportunities given the number of infrastructure development projects underway, and the government's push to accelerate the economic growth with infrastructure being one of the important growth pillars."

US: Holcim US has announced the launch of its ECOPact reduced-CO₂ concrete in the Fargo, North Dakota, and Twin Cities, Minnesota, metropolitan areas. ECOPact products offer up to 80% reduced CO₂ emissions compared with ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based concretes, and can also integrate construction and demolition waste. Holcim US has sold the ECOPact range in Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington DC since 2020.

Holcim US' North Central regional senior vice president Randy Gaworski said "With countless developments already in the pipeline, and so much on the horizon, engineers, architects and developers are driving demand to integrate sustainable building practices throughout the region. This is an exciting opportunity to offer our customers high-quality, low-carbon products for meeting our shared commitments to sustainability and net-zero construction."

UK: Holcim has acquired recycled concrete and aggregates producer Wiltshire Heavy Building Materials. Wiltshire Heavy Building Materials' material recovery system enables it to process 150,000t/yr of construction and demolition waste for recycling. It operates multiple plants across Wiltshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and generated Euro20.6m in sales in 2021.

Switzerland-based Holcim said that the acquisition will expand its UK subsidiary Aggregate Industries' position in the area between London and the West of England, and help the group to achieve its goal of 10Mt/yr-worth of construction and demolition waste recycled globally by 2025.

Germany: HeidelbergCement has joined EPEA’s Heidelberg Circular City Building Material Registry pilot project. The initiative uses EMEA’s Urban Mining Screening digital registry, which is able to estimate the composition of buildings based on building data. HeidelbergCement says that it will enable it to source construction and demolition waste for circular economic use in building materials production. This will support its ReConcrete 360° recycled concrete CO₂ reincorporation project, among other projects. The initiative will turn Heidelberg into Europe’s first Circular City.

“Full circular economy and sustainable construction are central elements of our climate strategy,” said HeidelbergCement chair Dominik von Achten. “We are focusing on the life cycle assessment of our product concrete, including the processing of demolished concrete, and returning it to the construction cycle. By 2030, we want to offer circular alternatives for half of our concrete products.” Von Achten concluded “Together with the city of Heidelberg, also a pioneer in the area of climate protection, we want to use the Circular City project to demonstrate the enormous potential of concrete recycling for future urban construction.”