immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Stoffkreislauf

  • Empa researches the recycling of plastic slats

    Empa researches the recycling of plastic slats

    Carbon fibre reinforced plastic lamellae (CFRP lamellae) are among the building materials that have not yet been reintroduced into the material cycle, Empa explains in a press release. Its researchers from the Mechanical Systems Engineering department want to remedy this situation. A corresponding research project has already found a sponsor in a foundation not named in the press release.

    The process of reinforcing bridges, car parks, building walls and ceilings made of concrete or masonry using CFRP lamellas has already been developed at Empa by its former Dübendorf director Urs Meier, according to the press release. “By significantly extending the service life of buildings and infrastructure structures, CFRP lamellae make an important contribution to increasing sustainability in the construction sector,” Giovanni Terrasi, Head of Empa’s Mechanical Systems Engineering research department, is quoted as saying. “However, we now also need to find a way to continue using the CFRP louvres beyond the service life of these buildings.”

    The first step is to develop a mechanical process that allows the lamellae to be detached from the concrete without causing damage. The researchers then want to process the demolished CFRP into reinforcements for prefabricated components. The first object the group has in mind is reinforcements for railway sleepers made from recycled concrete. This means that the “supposed waste material could play a new role in Swiss infrastructure”, writes Empa.

  • Recycling Centre Ostschweiz sets new standards with innovative processing plant

    Recycling Centre Ostschweiz sets new standards with innovative processing plant

    A new soil washing plant has been built at Niederstettenstrasse 28 in Niederstetten near Wil SG. With the fully automated plant, RCO now also processes contaminated construction waste and returns it to the building materials cycle as high-quality materials. RCO expects about 200,000 tonnes of processed building material per year that can be reused in this way. This means that more than 500 single-family homes could be built each year from sustainable building materials.

    Washing instead of landfilling
    The wet-mechanical processing plant replaces the dry-mechanical plant that has been in operation for about two decades. “With the soil washing plant, we can now accept and process materials that previously had to be landfilled. This includes, for example, contaminated excavated materials,” says Samuel Graf, a member of the RCO board of directors. “This not only saves valuable landfill space, but also conserves natural gravel resources.” The materials are then widely used in civil engineering, for example as sand or gravel for concrete production.

    Taking building materials recycling to the next level
    The state-of-the-art process technology sorts, classifies and doses the various material components. “In addition, pollutants and foreign substances can be removed efficiently, which ensures a significantly improved quality of the products,” explains Stefan Eberhard, Delegate of the Board of Directors. “The building materials produced in this way are of high quality and conform to standards – this is also demonstrated by our company building.” This consists to a very large extent of recycled building material and serves RCO as a showroom to visually demonstrate the many advantages of sustainable building materials to customers and the public.

    About the R CO
    The RCO was founded in 2018 by the two companies Holcim Kies und Beton AG and Zürcher Kies und Transport AG. With their joint know-how, Holcim and Zürcher are driving innovations in building materials recycling, closing material cycles even more consistently and serving the eastern Swiss market with high-quality building materials.