A Novel Approach to Construction Waste Recycling

construction waste recycling

A Novel Approach to Construction Waste Recycling

Construction waste recycling

Recycling of construction waste is the separation and isolation of recoverable waste materials generated during construction and reconstruction. Packaging, debris,  new materials and old materials scraps are famous recoverable materials. In the renovation, masonry materials, appliances, hardware,  doors and windows, building materials are recyclable. 

Most of the construction waste goes to landfills, which increases the burden on loading and processing of the landfill. It can be prevented if these materials will be collected in a roll of dumpster that can then be picked up by your waste management company like EWM Dumpster Rental. Waste from sources such as solvents or chemically treated wood can lead to soil and water pollution. Construction waste is produced by building construction and demolition activities consisting of asphalt, plastic, concrete, tiles, bricks, metal, wood, drywalls, rock and more. These building waste materials are often inert and non-biodegradable, and heavy and massive dumps. The recycling and management of construction waste involve the process and separation of salvage of recyclable waste materials for recycling and reuse. The innovative approach and advanced solutions in Krause Manufacturing for the disposal of construction waste and commercial waste recycling will enhance your productivity and profitability.

Some materials can be recycled into the same product directly and can be reused. Others can be reshaped into other usable products. Unfortunately, recycling that requires reprocessing is not economically feasible unless there is an annex using recycled resources located near the physical source. Many building waste materials that are still usable can be donated to non-profit organizations. This keeps the material from landfill and supports a good cause. The most important step to recycling construction waste is to separate the site. Initially, this will take some extra effort and train construction staff. Once separation habits are created, separation can be done at an additional cost or at no additional cost. The first step in a strategy to reduce construction waste is good planning. The design must be based on standard sizes and materials must be ordered accurately. In addition, the use of high-quality materials such as engineered products reduces rejection. This approach can reduce the number of materials that need to be recycled and enhance profitability and economy for builders and customers.

Recycled construction waste: building a more sustainable future

Construction engineers often prefer confidence in raw materials, so it is important that the demolition waste is suitable and can meet the same standards as the raw materials. Many of the related schemes encourage enterprises and constructors to separate gypsum, concrete, metals, wood, and hazardous materials, About 120 square meters of tiles were reused from a demolished building on the same site for new construction. Insulation materials were recycled for a new roof, and wood and glass were used to build a greenhouse on a farm on the outskirts of Brussels.

Finally, recycled aggregates could cover only 12 to 20 percent of the total aggregate demand for the foreseeable future. 80 percent of demand still needs natural primary supply, even in countries with recycling rates of close to 100 percent. Therefore, for the aggregates industry, the only way to reduce future waste is to promote the application of the ideal construction design philosophy to be able to adapt to the minimum demolition at the end of life.

The construction industry is one of the most resource-focused areas of the German economy. There is a large store of raw materials in the country's buildings, which retains 100 billion metric tons of material which can be recovered and can be returned to the physical cycle at the end of its service life. 

Four Fraunhofer Institutes have joined together in the BauCycle project to begin recycling the rubble of sand particles and fine gravel that cannot be recovered today for reuse in other construction projects.  The research team will present results of its work in the 2019 BAU Trade Fair in Munich from January 14 to January 19. Showcases in Booth 528 in hall C2 will display aerated concrete blocks made of recycled debris, acoustic building materials, and components made of mineral granulates.

After a day on the beach, the sand appears rarely in short supply. Presence cheats, because rarity in many countries is increasing for this valuable item, there is a reason for the global construction boom. It takes the mountains of concrete, in which to build hotels, shopping centers, and industrial parks, mostly sand, and gravel. Dubai, for example, had to import Australian sand for the construction of a Burj Khalifa skyscraper; For this purpose, its own desert sand was badly suited. Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources noted that Germany's gravel and sand deposits are also declining.

Around the world, about 40 billion metric tons of sand and gravel are used each year. During the same time period in Germany, buildings and destroyed buildings leave behind about 5 million metric tons of fine-grained building debris. So far, it ended up in landfills or used in road construction; it was not heard before. The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, IBP, for Logistics IML, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT,, for environmental and for Material Flow and Optronics, Systems Technology and Image Analysis (IOSB) has launched a project called BauCycle for the recycling of construction waste. Their goal is to transform this mix of minerals into a sustainable resource and demonstrate potential applications in construction. 

One specific goal is to recycle metal construction waste particles less than 2 mm in diameter. To do this, the researchers are developing innovative screening and high-quality building materials. To cover the entire value chain, it also plans to create a dynamic market platform where raw materials are traded as commodities.

Opto-pneumatic sorting for fine fractions

The first step is to sort the heterogeneous content of the rubble. Gypsum particles should be separated selectively - they are critical to the recyclability of the concrete part. The researchers developed an optical detector that allows the separation of fine fractions based on the color, brightness and chemical composition of the particles. They are even able to distinguish sulfates from silicates

Making aerated concrete from building rubble

In the best scenarios, four clean and reused assemblies can be recycled for the production of aerated concrete, lightweight building materials with good thermal insulation properties. It is suitable for the construction of two-story houses and internal insulation. The tests have shown that cement brick and sandstone aggregates are recyclable and can serve as secondary feedstock to produce competitive grades of aerated concrete. The scientists achieved the best results with a blend of 80 percent of the sand brick lime and 20 percent of the reclaimed concrete. Another discovery of the project is that a combination of brick and concrete can be used to geopolymers,, a cement-free building that is strong and resistant to acidity much like concrete. Geopolymers have the added advantage of having very low carbon emissions.

The researchers have carried out a variety of components to demonstrate the possibility of recycling construction waste. These products will be featured prominently in the Fraunhofer booth (booth 538 in Hall C2) at the BAU Trade Fair in Munich from January 14 to 19. A panel of experts will present samples of various cellular mixtures, a facade cladding made of geological polymers, and a prototype of a sound-absorbing, open panel made of granules.

Commodities exchange on the drawing board

Plans are underway to establish a commodity exchange where suppliers of raw materials and recycling companies can supply their products. Building materials manufacturers will be able to purchase source materials on this platform. "Recycled products are not yet sold in existing markets There is a lack of confidence in these secondary raw materials and their knowledge. This recycling concept for fine granular building materials also applies to other industries that operate with similar fine fractions Mechanical processing plan

Dr. Volker Thome, a Fraunhofer IBP scientist, described optical computing technique " Building sand is not a surplus; in Europe, for example, there is a shortage of sand in Sweden and France. The traditional way to treat aggregates is to crush them. The components of less than one millimeter are screened and end up in landfills. If the fine-grained building debris - consisting mainly of sand bricks, bricks, concrete and small quantities of gypsum - is to be recycled, this shortfall can be addressed in the long run. The waste components are placed on the conveyor belt that is transported via an infrared camera equipped with special filters to detect the various fractions. Particles fall off the end of the belt in free fall, past nozzles that release key components into different containers with blasts directed from compressed air.

"In tests, our audio component of the secondary raw material displays the same sound absorption properties as the products available in the market. We want to bridge this gap through the exchange of goods”. Dr. Thom and his team have succeeded in distinguishing between one-millimeter particles. This technology can yield 1.5 metric tons per hour.