Heidelberg Materials has launched a groundbreaking recycling plant near Katowice, Poland, focusing on the selective separation of demolition concrete. This state-of-the-art facility, the first of its kind in the industry, utilizes a proprietary crushing mechanism to enable advanced separation and sorting capabilities, fully recycling demolition concrete. The plant boasts a capacity of up to 100 tons per hour, making Heidelberg Materials a pioneer in introducing high-quality selective concrete separation on this scale.
Nicola Kimm, Chief Sustainability Officer and Member of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials, highlighted the company’s commitment to innovation: “Thanks to our strong commitment to continuous innovation, we are now introducing a revolutionary and commercially viable technology combining circularity with decarbonisation on our path to net zero. Innovations like these help to accelerate our transformation and highlight our ambition to closing the loop, offering circular alternatives for 50% of our concrete products by 2030.”
Jon Morrish, also a Member of the Managing Board and responsible for the Group area Europe, emphasized the significance of this development: “With our award-winning ReConcrete approach, we have already shown on a pilot scale that concrete can be fully recycled without loss of quality. Our new recycling plant marks an important milestone of implementing this innovative technology on a completely new scale, reinforcing our industry-leading position in driving circularity.”
The plant’s patented ReConcrete process breaks down demolition concrete into its original components, producing high-quality sand and gravel comparable to virgin materials. Recycled concrete paste (RCP), a finer fraction obtained during the process, can serve as an alternative raw material for clinker production, reducing CO2 emissions, or as a secondary cementitious material. Additionally, RCP can function as a carbon sink, absorbing CO2 throughout the lifespan of a building or infrastructure project.
To further capitalize on this technology, Heidelberg Materials is constructing an industrial pilot facility for enforced carbonation at its cement plant in Górazdze, Poland. This facility will use the RCP produced at the Katowice plant, exposing it to exhaust gases from the kiln to produce carbonated RCP (cRCP), which can absorb approximately 150 kg of CO2 per tonne, significantly lowering CO2 emissions from clinker production.
This initiative is part of Heidelberg Materials’ broader strategy to meet the rising demand for sustainable building materials, including recent acquisitions such as the B&A Group in South West England and other companies across the UK, US, and Germany, aimed at enhancing the company’s portfolio of circular materials.
News sourced from: https://www.worldcement.com/
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