Displaying items by tag: recycling

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.”

Greece: Titan Group has established a ready-mix concrete batching plant at the construction site of the Ellinikon new city project. The 6Mm² development is converting a disused airport into housing and hotels. It has also started building what will be the Mediterranean’s tallest ‘green’ skyscraper. Titan Group says it will maximise its recycling rate of concrete and demolition waste at the site, as well as using new concrete recycling system and a treated water reuse method.

Titan Group’s Greece general manager, Angelos Kalogerakos, said “We have invested fast and early to accompany this large city infrastructure project. I am certain our partners will be delighted with the outstanding concrete solutions delivered by our group specialists thanks to this digital, state-of-the-art unit and our portfolio of green and value-added products. We take pride in contributing to the transformation of The Ellinikon as this iconic project is reshaping the coastline.”

France: Lafarge France is participating in a 76-unit housing development project called Recygénie, at Gennevilliers in Hauts-de-Seine. Lafarge France will supply the project with 100% recycled concrete for use in facades, interior walls and roof slabs. It produced 2000t of 100% recycled 'clinker' at its Altkirch cement plant in Haut-Rhin during a suspension of ordinary clinker production in 2022. It has produced 1600m³ of recycled concrete to date. The concrete won the New Materials Prize at L'Usine Nouvelle's Sustainable Industry Awards 2023.

The Recygénie housing project is due for delivery in late 2024.

World: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has named the 15 anticipated deliverers of low-CO₂ cement and concrete production shortlisted for participation in its second Innovandi Open Challenge. The association chose the start-ups based on their potential to deliver CO₂ emissions reduction in the global cement and concrete sector in line with its Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap. The applicants are presenting their pitches to GCCA members on 30 June 2023. All those accepted will gain access to members' plants, labs, networks and expertise. The following start-ups made the Innovandi Open Challenge 2023 shortlist:

GCCA cement director and innovation lead Claude Loréa said “We received more than 70 quality applications, so drawing up a shortlist was challenging." Loréa continued "Our essential industry needs something easily scalable and affordable. Those start-ups on the list demonstrated the most potential, and we look forward to hearing more about their ideas. But we’ll also be keeping in touch with other start-ups who didn’t make this year’s shortlist, with future projects in mind.”

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."

UK: Germany-based Heidelberg Materials has signed a deal for the acquisition of Mick George Group, the leading concrete recycling company in the East Midlands and East of England. Mick George Group’s 40 sites span bulk excavation, earthmoving and demolition services and demolition waste removal and management, as well as ready-mix concrete and aggregates distribution.

Heidelberg Materials Western and Southern Europe director Jon Morrish said “With the acquisition of Mick George, we are clearly moving towards establishing a truly circular materials and services offer in our UK business. I warmly welcome all 1000 Mick George employees to Heidelberg Materials and look forward to further developing the business together.”

Heidelberg Materials aims to offer circular alternatives for half of its products by 2050.

Colombia: Cemex has announced the launch of the Tunjuelo Circularity Centre at its former Tunjuelo quarry near Bogotá. Having rebuilt parts of the 50m-deep quarry with demolition waste, Cemex will now work on its ecological restoration, while continuing to receive excavation waste for reconstruction of the ground. It will meanwhile divert demolition waste deliveries for recycling in aggregate production. In Bogotá, Cemex has launched an initiative for urban construction partnerships in collaboration with local authorities. It will also collect municipal solid waste (MSW) there for use in its cement production and collect its used plastic cement bags for recycling in building materials production.

Cemex’s Colombia and Peru president Alejandro Ramírez said "This is a pioneering model for Cemex in the construction materials industry globally, which we aim to position as a benchmark for circularity within the sustainable development of large cities in Colombia and the world. A piece of land that supplied materials for Bogotá's development for decades has received construction and demolition waste for its redevelopment and was transformed into a green area to the south of the city, an epicenter of the circular economy and an opportunity for urban development for the capital city of Colombia."

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: Dyckerhoff’s Dillingen ready-mixed concrete plant is the company’s first unit to be awarded the R module of the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC). The unit has been using recycled aggregates in the standardised proportions and types since August 2021 and now customers and clients can have the certified sustainable concrete counted as part of building certifications. The recycled aggregate used in the Dillingen plant comes from a recycling company in the immediate vicinity, so there are no transport costs, which, in addition to the aspect of resource conservation, also contributes to the avoidance of transport-related CO₂ emissions.

Canada: Holcim has announced its acquisition of Mathers Group’s quarry and asphalt assets in Quebec. The group says that the acquisition will accelerate its development of local circular construction practices by expanding its recycled concrete offering.